Intertwined
by redskiez
Summary: When Obito decides to take care of the little runaway who insists upon it, he didn't think it would become such a big deal.
1. Intercepted

_There are no underage relations in this fic. I repeat: there are NO underage relations in this fic._

* * *

He hears the kid before he sees him.

Obito tosses away the severed arm and hears it thud mutely behind him as he turns to seek out the source of the rustling. He isn't on high alert – the sound is too small to be of a threat and the chakra signature is, at best, of a recent academy graduate. Still, he remains attentive, in case it's some of these shinobi's students.

The kid that comes peering out, wide-eyed, is not of Konoha. Instead, on his forehead lies an Iwagakure protector. The child wears nothing but a simple robe – not unlike his own – and has a long mane of golden hair. He carries a messenger bag on his shoulder.

Obito tilts his head, crossing his arms and waiting for the child to say something.

"Hi," the kid says, his voice cracking and Obito gets the further confirmation he needs that he's on the cusp of puberty.

He doesn't answer him, tilting his head at an angle to tell him to continue.

The child looks behind him and he knows that he's staring at the corpses. He had come across a patrol of Konoha ninjas and while he originally had planned to leave them alone, he had overheard them talk about a masked man loitering around the village the day of the massacre.

Obito couldn't care less about being known, but he knows that Madara would very much prefer his presence being unknown. Best keep this knowledge to only two people.

"I-I saw you, y-yeah," the kid continues, slowly coming out from behind the tree.

"Do not be afraid," Obito finds himself saying, although he doesn't care whether or not the kid is scared of him. He's just a kid.

"I-I'm not!"

Obito nods and then gestures to his forehead.

"What are you doing out here? It's a way away from your village, kid," Obito says.

The kid raises a hand to touch his forehead protector, slim fingers scraping against the rough metal.

"I left that place, hm," he proudly says, puffing out his chest and trying to look as tough as a twelve-year-old can look without coming off as cute. "It's holding me back from my true potential, yeah, so I left to find a better way to improve myself!"

A strange feeling bubbles inside of Obito's chest but he keeps quiet about it. He nods sagely, though he somehow doubts that the kid can do much improving on his own, no matter what kind of 'prodigy' he might be.

"It's dangerous to be out here on your own," Obito says, nodding toward the lifeless bodies that lay on the grass. They were easy enough to dispatch since he had the element of surprise.

"Yeah," the kid says and Obito finds it strange that he'd so readily agree with something like that, "that's why I wanted to know if you're willing to take me in!"

Obito stands there, dumb, for a while before the child's words register.

"What?"

"Take me in," the kid says. "I saw the whole thing, you know. I saw how you were in a tree and then – bam! – you were on top of them, yeah, ripping their heads off! It was so fast and so cool!"

So, the kid is a weirdo. Can he not find anyone who is remotely normal around here?

"This isn't something to be proud of," he says, grim.

"But it just shows how fleeting life is!"

"Fleeting," Obito echoes.

"Yeah, fleeting, hm!" the kid reaches into his messenger bag, digging around. The action seems harmless enough but Obito still keeps his guard high. It isn't until he sees the child take out a wad of clay that he relaxes once more.

"Look!" he says, but then he just stands there, looking really confused.

Obito is patient, though. He doesn't have much left in the world but a lot of time on his hands.

It takes him a while to realize that the kid isn't just standing there. He's looking at his hands, eyebrows furrowed in a very concentrated expression, but it's clear that it's not really helping his case, whatever it might be that he's doing.

Obito takes the risk and walks over to the child, holding out his hand to see what he's doing.

The child puts his hand into Obito's without question – too trusting, he thinks – and Obito could see that he's got mouths on his palms. They look bloody and there are remnants of ink on them, etching a design that Obito is only vaguely familiar with. He ignores that for the moment and checks out the mouths, noticing how they are moving – chewing.

"Interesting," Obito says when he realizes he's just been standing there.

"Yeah!" the kid says, clearly excited, and then takes his hand away when the mouth spits out the wad of clay. "Look!"

He says that and then he goes to mold the clay with both of his hand, carefully pulling and tugging and it's all so awfully slow. Obito wonders _why_ the child is doing this. There is no time for sculpting and even if they do, sculpting doesn't seem like an appropriate thing to do right now.

Still, he humors the child and lets him do his thing, watching as experienced – but still slow – fingers work on the white wad of clay until it turns into something that resembles a butterfly.

He senses that the kid's chakra is molding and he glances at him, ready to strike if he does something wrong, but he's just holding out his hand and forming a one-handed seal – impressive – and then the butterfly begins to shift in his hand.

The once-lifeless sculpture comes to life in front of his very eyes, twitching and moving and then it flutters into the air, behaving just as a normal butterfly would. It lands on his shoulder, wings fluttering.

"That's cute," Obito says, unimpressed.

The kid gives him a look and Obito shrugs. The butterfly takes off from his shoulder and it flies over to the bodies that lay behind them. Obito follows it with his gaze and when it lands on one of the bodies, the kid yells something he doesn't bother to catch and the butterfly explodes, shredding the body.

Obito looks, glad that his mask hides his surprised expression, and then turns to the child, nodding approvingly.

"Explosive Release," he says. "You're part of the Explosive Corps."

"You know about them?" the child asks, no longer offended that he called his weapon of choice 'cute.'

"Who doesn't?" Obito says, making sure his smile is evident in his voice. "You've got potential, kid. I'm surprised you decided to leave Iwagakure when you're this talented."

"They won't let me progress any further than that," the kid says bitterly. "Dad said it was too dangerous and old man Onoki won't budge either, hm, so I'm going to show them that I _can_ become better! I'm going to show all of them, yeah!"

Obito nods, reaching out to take the child's hand in his bandaged one. He runs a thumb over the lips of the palm-mouth, watching as it parts and licks at him and notes how the kid winces at the action. It's fresh.

"This isn't natural," he notes.

"No," the kid winces, taking his hand back and rubs around the lips. He looks pained the entire time. "I stole Iwagakure's kinjutsu, hm."

Obito snorts and, when he finds out he can't hold it back, lets out a hearty laugh.

"You really are determined to become a criminal, huh?" Obito says when he manages to stop laughing.

"If it means I can find the ultimate art, hm," the kid says.

"Ultimate art," Obito hums, crossing his arms again. The clay makes sense, then. Explosive clay is an interesting way to combine skills if he has to be honest with himself. "You're really interesting, kiddo, I'll give you that."

The kid seems to preen at the compliment.

"What's your name?"

"Deidara, hm!"

"Alright, Deidara," Obito laughs, reaching out to tussle his hair, "I wish you luck in your journey of finding your ultimate art and I hope I get to hear about you in a few years and see you in the bingo books, wreaking havoc wherever you might be."

He thinks Deidara can. With a passion and talent like that, there's no doubt that the kid would become some kind of bomber, tossing innocent looking sculptures at people, only to have it literally blow up in front of their faces.

He takes note of Deidara's excited expression and turns to leave, hearing a small gasp when he does.

"Wait!" Deidara calls out, little feet pattering against the grass floor and then he feels equally as tiny hands grasp at his robe. "Are you not going to take me in, yeah?"

"Take you in?" Obito repeats, reaching to untangle Deidara's hands from his robe. "I can't take you in, boy. We're strangers."

"But I need a mentor," Deidara says, "and you seem to be okay with killing people, which means you aren't like my dad and the old man Onoki, hm!"

Obito winces at that, glancing at the bodies once more.

"Doesn't mean I'm okay with teaching you it," he says, firmly putting Deidara's hands back by his sides. He kneels down, holding the child in place. "Listen, kid, I respect your choice of choosing such a violent way to express your art, but you _can't_ follow me. I do dangerous things that a child should never be involved in."

Deidara tilts his head. "That's so cool!" he says, instead of realizing the weight of Obito's situation. "Secrets, hm! Are you in trouble? Is that why you wear a mask?"

Obito sighs, standing up and putting his hand on Deidara's head.

"No," he says, but he doesn't go on any further. "Kid, please, go on your own and get your own experiences. It is the only genuine way you can make your own art."

Deidara seems to consider his words for a second and Obito is ready to breathe out a breath of relief, but then the kid pipes up.

"But I'm a kid, you say it yourself," he says, "that means I can't take care of myself yet, hm, so I need a capable adult to do that for me."

Obito suddenly feels exhausted.

"That's not what I mean when I call you 'kid,' Deidara," he tries. "If you had the ability to steal the kinjutsu and survive after using it, I'm sure you can take care of yourself and grow up to be a dangerous missing-nin. Go on your own, now."

When Obito lets go of his head, Deidara doesn't seem to make an effort to move. Nodding to himself, he turns to leave again.

He manages to take five steps in the opposite direction before a set of tiny footsteps echo his.

"Deidara," Obito warns.

"Please?" comes Deidara's voice, now behind him. He feels a weight pressing up against his back and slim arms wrap around his torso.

Obito untangles Deidara's grip.

"No means no, Deidara," Obito says.

"I can make more sculptures, not just butterflies, yeah! I can make spiders and centipedes!"

"Deidara, I'm not concerned about what you can make. I'm not looking for an apprentice or a follower. I've got one already."

"But I've been alone for two days now, hm," Deidara says, sounding pitiful.

"And you seem to be doing alright."

"I haven't had anything to eat."

Obito pauses.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Zetsu emerge from the ground, signaling to him. Obito calls him off. Zetsu disappears.

"I'm very hungry, hm," Deidara says.

Obito sighs.

"Lunch," Obito says. "We can have lunch and then we part ways, okay?"

Deidara squeals – god, he's just a child – and then jumps up and down. The way he acts does not strike Obito as a hardened thief who stole Iwagakure's kinjutsu, or someone who would be able to take care of himself on his own, explosive release or not.

Obito pushes all those thoughts away before they manifest into something even more dangerous. He lets Deidara climb on his back and bury his face in his long hair. He reaches behind him to support Deidara and begins to head to the nearest village.

As he walks, he notices that Deidara is very dirty. There is a lot of dirt and grime on his hands and the rest of him isn't looking any better. He carries a certain smell that, while not unpleasant, is still pungent enough to alert others of his presence.

It then strikes him that the kid must have left the village without carrying any money. It does make sense – he's only twelve-years-old and if he's right, his dad must be strict enough to not let him carry anything more than a lunch's worth. Anything he packed must be gone because the only thing that Deidara carries with him is his pouch of clay.

That clay must mean a lot to him.

They aren't even halfway before he hears Deidara's soft snores. He sighs to himself but he does, nonetheless, feel a little proud of himself. It's the little acts, he supposes.

When they reach the village, Obito ignores the way others dart to get out of his way. He makes a beeline toward the nearest restaurant, looking over their menu before deciding that it's good enough and asks for a table of two.

The waitress looks at him with a bemused expression and then leads him inside, gesturing to a table near the middle of the restaurant.

"Deidara," Obito says, jostling his shoulder to wake the child.

"Hm," Deidara mumbles, nuzzling his face further into his hair.

"Wake up," he says. "Lunch."

"Fluffy," Deidara mumbles.

"Food," Obito responds.

Deidara pushes himself away from his hair – he should cut it soon – and then looks around. It takes him a few moments but then he is jumping, wriggling in Obito's grasp.

Obito bends down to let him off his back. He tuts him and orders Deidara to sit down and behave before taking his seat.

"Would you like a kid's menu, sir?" the hostess says, coming back with two cups of hot tea.

"Would you?" Obito directs the question to Deidara.

"No!" Deidara says, bouncing in his seat.

Obito sighs at the childish display. The hostess offers him a smile and then gestures to the other end of the wall, where the menu is printed on.

"Pick whatever you want," Obito says.

Deidara seems excited. Obito doesn't need to eat, so he decides on only getting a small snack.

It takes Deidara a while before he settles on a bowl of ramen with two side dishes. It feels like too big of a meal for someone to eat after two days of starvation, but since Deidara is still growing, he brushes it aside and waves the hostess back. She's the only one working right now, it seems.

"I would like a plate of dango," he tells the hostess, who nods along to his words. "He would like a bowl of ramen with udon and miso soup." He pauses, glancing at the menu once more. "And give me the Bakudan roll, too."

The hostess nods. "Would that be all?"

"Yes."

The hostess nods again and heads toward the kitchen.

Obito reaches out for his tea, holding the cup and letting it warm his hand as he watches Deidara.

"You tired?" he asks.

"A bit," Deidara says.

Obito nods. Deidara reaches for his cup of tea and takes a tentative sip, wincing when it scalds his tongue. Obito watches him with a passive expression.

He must have had a hard time finding a safe place to sleep. Obito brings the cup closer to him, but he still doesn't take a sip from it.

"Why do you wear a mask?" Deidara suddenly asks.

"To hide my face," Obito responds.

"Why do you hide your face?"

"So that others won't be able to see it."

"Why don't you want others to see it?"

"Because I want my identity to be hidden."

"Why do you want your identity to be hidden?"

"Because I don't want it to be known."

"Why do you not want it to be known?"

"Because it's a secret."

"Why is it a secret?"

"That's a secret, too."

"Why is that a secret?"

"Because secrets are meant to be secret so that others don't know."

"Why don't you want others to know?"

"Because that's what a secret is."

Deidara tilts his head but before he can fire another barrage of childish questions, the hostess comes back with their food. Obito glances at her and then looks around the restaurant, realizing that the place is nearly deserted save for two others that are already served.

Obito leans back from the table and lets go of his cup, letting the hostess place the food on the table, saying thanks underneath his breath as she walks away.

Deidara lunges forward to grab a pair of chopsticks, digging in after a hasty "I'm going to eat."

Obito watches as the kid devours his meal, not even bothering to look up. He uses this to his advantage and finishes his dango. As famished as Deidara says he is, he doesn't seem to be able to match his speed. Obito places the sticks back on the plate and then takes a sip of his tea before adjusting his mask.

Deidara's focus is still on his food. Obito chuckles to himself, shaking his head as he holds his cup until Deidara looks back up, eyes wide. He watches as he bites off the noodles, the strands sloshing back into the broth. Deidara looks down at the dango and then back at him.

"Take your time," Obito says.

Deidara swallows, pouting.

"I wanted some, hm," he mutters.

"We can order more," Obito says. He reaches for the Bakudan rolls and pushes them toward him. "Here, have these. I think you would like them."

"What are they?"

"Bakudan rolls."

"Are you making fun of me, hm?" Deidara grumbles but he takes a roll, plopping it in his mouth. He watches as the kid looks this way and that, chewing slowly.

When he's done, he blinks at him and then a wide grin appears on his face.

"It's delicious, yeah!"

"Is it because it's called Bakudan?" Obito laughs.

Deidara hums and then digs back in.

By the time Deidara is finished with his meal, Obito has already gone through three other cups of tea. He doesn't need any substance, due to Hashirama's cells, but still, he doesn't want Deidara to feel lonely.

Deidara sighs contently, leaning back and patting his stomach.

"That was good," he says. "Thank you for the meal, sir."

Obito huffs and then grabs the bill, standing. "Don't call me 'sir,'" he says, heading toward the till.

The hostess notices him stand and hurries to the counter, making the transaction quick. Obito reaches out to place his hand on Deidara's shoulder to guide the kid out of the restaurant.

"What's your name, yeah?" Deidara asks, reaching up to grab his sleeve.

Obito looks down at him, watching him for a long time.

"Do you want a bath, kid?" he asks instead of answering his question.

"Yeah!" Deidara grins.

"Come on," he says, leading Deidara toward the nearest hotel.

"You're not going to do anything weird, are you, hm?"

"Weird?" Obito scoffs. "You're the one who wanted to tag along, kiddo. I only want to make sure you're okay before I leave you."

"Leave me?" Deidara frowns, his grip tightening. "But I thought you said I can follow you!"

"I never said that," Obito says, slightly annoyed but impressed that he's already naturally skilled at emotional manipulation. "I said we go our separate ways after lunch."

Deidara is pouting. Obito ignores that. Out of the corner of his eye – again – he sees Zetsu wave at him. Obito shakes his head minutely and then Zetsu is gone.

The hotel is more packed than usual and Obito doesn't bother asking for two rooms. He'll let Deidara have the room for the entire week, just long enough for him to get on his feet. He won't stay with him so it won't get weird.

The man at the desk seems to be in the belief that he's Deidara's older brother, which is rather strange, but he lets the man live his little lie and takes Deidara's hand, guiding him up the stairs before the kid's big mouth can correct the man.

Obito lets go of Deidara's hand when the kid trots on inside the room. He slides the door shut and then, with a loud groan, he sits down on the floor, kicking off his sandals and then laying down.

Deidara looks at him.

"What?" Obito asks.

"I thought you said you were going to leave," Deidara says. He sounds like he's teasing him.

"Go take a bath," Obito says.

Deidara takes off his shoes and then heads to the bathroom.

A sound comes to his left and then Obito turns to find Zetsu staring right at him.

"Should I get rid of him?" White Zetsu asks.

"Leave him alone," Obito sighs, turning away from his partner and sliding his hands under his mask, pressing against his eyes. "He's just a kid."

"He doesn't seem to want to leave," Black Zetsu says.

"He's just a kid," Obito responds firmly, pushing aside all of Zetsu's accusations and implications and leaving no room for argument.

"What do you want me to do?" White Zetsu asks.

"Get him some new clothes," Obito says, "and a little bag."

"Okay," Black Zetsu says and then the two of them disappear.

He hears the water start to run.

Obito listens to the sloshing of the liquid and Deidara's humming of a song he's unfamiliar with until Zetsu returns, holding out a stack of clothes fit for a child of Deidara's size on top of a similarly sized bag.

"Good," Obito says, waving his hand and Zetsu places the stack beside his head.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get rid of him?" White Zetsu asks.

"Yes," Obito says, annoyed.

"Okay," Black Zetsu replies and then they sink underground once more.

It takes another ten minutes before he hears the water stop. Obito stands and grabs an outfit off the top of the pile – some bluish-green robes – and then heads over to the bathroom. He kneels down in front of the door and gently raps against it.

Obito ignores the sudden jolt of noise and speaks up, "I got you new clothes so you can wash those rags of yours. I'll place them outside the door. Take them whenever you're ready."

He places the neatly folded clothes in front of the door and then gets up, walking toward the other side of the room and lays back down on the ground, closing his eyes to rest them.

He hears the door slide and exactly two water droplets dripping on the tatami. Deidara takes the clothes and then slides the door shut. A few moments pass and then Deidara walks out, heading toward him.

"What?" Obito asks.

"When did you get these?" Deidara asks, turning this way and that to look at his new clothes.

"While you were taking a bath," Obito responds. "Where are your dirty clothes?"

"Here," Deidara says.

"Put them in the basket and tell the guy downstairs that you need some washing up done," he says. "I'll leave you with a string of coins so try and budget yourself."

He doesn't hear Deidara respond. Obito opens his eyes to find Deidara staring directly at his mask, probably trying to peer into his eyehole. Obito waves his hand at him and sits up, rolling his shoulders and turning his neck.

He reaches inside of his robe and takes out the remainder of his money. It's not a lot, but it's definitely enough to last the kid for a month if he only uses it on food. He can get his water from the forest they were just in.

He places the string of coins next to the bag Zetsu got him and then he stands, looming over Deidara. He nods at the kid and gives him a pat on his wet head.

"See you around," Obito says, like a liar. He would not like to come across this kid ever again, at least not until he's grown into a man.

Deidara blinks at him, those blue eyes becoming suspiciously watery.

Obito doesn't wait for a response and turns to go.

He hears a sniffle.

Is he crying?

Obito thinks that's annoying.

Obito rests his hand on the door and then he hears another, louder, sniffle.

"Stop crying," he says. "If you want to be a great shinobi, you have to stop crying."

"No one's been so nice to me, hm!" Deidara says and then he lets out an 'oof' when Deidara launches himself at him, arms wrapping around his torso again. He buries his face in his back, getting his clothes all wet with his hair. "Please, sir, I still have so much to learn, hm! You can take care of me!"

Obito sighs, annoyance building.

"You can take care of yourself," he says. "Don't ask for strangers to take care of you."

"Please!"

Obito clicks his tongue.

"I have a lot of things to do," he says. "I need to go."

"Take me with you! I promise I can be helpful, hm!"

How annoying but strangely endearing.

Obito stands there, thinking, and then he goes and untangles Deidara's hands. He feels the kid trying to resist but since he's just a kid, he easily overpowers him and forces his arms down.

Obito turns and kneels down, getting eye-level with the little ninja and holds his shoulders, keeping him in place.

His eyes are red and puffy, hot streams of tears rolling down his face. Obito reaches out and slicks the little baby bang out of Deidara's face, uncaring of the fact that the hair is wetting his bandages.

"Don't cry," he says, his voice gentle. He waits for Deidara to calm down, his growing sobs dying before they can get any worse. When there is nothing but little sniffles coming out of the kid, Obito continues.

"You said you can be helpful," Obito says and Deidara nods furiously, "but you said you can't take care of yourself. How do you expect me to let you help if you can't fend for yourself?"

Deidara seems to have neglected this fact.

"I can't take care of a kid while working," he warns Deidara, who is deflating by the second. "If you want to tag along… you'll have to promise me that while I'm off doing something, you'll practice on your own."

Deidara's eyes light up and he blinks at him.

Obito knows he just wants someone to look up to, someone to admire and prove himself to. A kid this age needs some sort of role model, no matter how twisted they are. If Deidara can't find one soon, he fears he'll grow up all fucked up, like many of the people Nagato is looking to hire.

If he can be this little guy's difference, why pass up the chance? Even though it's not his entire world – or the entire world itself – it would be Deidara's.

He'll make sure the kid grows up fine and then he'll leave.

He thinks it's noble. He thinks he's doing something right for once.

"We'll be on the move a lot," Obito warns him, "and I won't always be there, so you'll have to learn to become independent."

Deidara nods, weary.

"But I'll be there if you call for me," Obito adds, smiling slightly at the way Deidara seems to light up at that.

Deidara grins and steps forward, wrapping his arms around Obito's neck and giving him the biggest hug he can.

"Nice to meet you, Deidara," he says after a few moments of hesitation, wrapping his arms around Deidara's shoulders. "My name is Obito."

"Uchiha Obito."

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

NOTE: This is my first conscious attempt at a slow burn.

Beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN (was Kate_Black14).

Special thanks to LipsOfFrost/frosty-fantasy!

Oh, yeah, another multi-chaptered fic. I hope you guys are ready for this journey because I'm actually pretty proud of this one.

And I did do math for this fic! I decided to plan out all future chapters so that I won't ever forget or run out of ideas and I realized I had to construct and semi-canonical timeline, so I had to make sure their ages are correct. I calculated everyone's (those that matter, anyway) ages. This fic will take place over a few years and I won't explicitly state their ages, but I'm going to have them listed in the author's notes so that you guys have an idea.

FIRST YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **TWELVE (12)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-THREE (23)**.

This is set ONE YEAR after the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot tumblr dot com) for more updates and information about my fics!

Well, that's about it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading the first chapter. If you did (or didn't), you should leave a review to tell me why (or why not)!

Please leave a review... I don't know if people are interested in continuing to read this otherwise...

EDIT: Fixed inconsistencies and repeated word in the first two paragraphs.


	2. Interdependent

"Uchiha Obito," Deidara says.

"Yes," Obito answers, turning Deidara's forehead protector in his hands.

"I thought someone murdered all of you, hm," Deidara says.

"Don't be crass," Obito grunts. "Who taught you your manners?"

"Sorry," Deidara says, not sorry at all. "Killed. Is that better?"

"Not really," Obito says, though he doesn't care. "But yes, the Uchiha are all massacred, save for less than a handful."

"Doesn't that mean you're not all killed, hm?"

Obito sighs, digging into his pocket for a kunai. He feels Deidara tense at that and then relax when he digs the sharp tip into the metal of the forehead protector, dragging a line across the imprint of Iwagakure's symbol.

"It does mean we are not all killed," Obito says. "But it doesn't mean that the number that made us scary is gone."

"You weren't that scary," Deidara says.

"Are you sure?"

"A little bit scary," Deidara corrects himself. "But I always wanted to fight one of you, hm! Then when I win, I'll have something else to shove into Onoki's face!"

"You're a million years too young to even think about winning a fight against me," Obito scoffs, putting the kunai away and then tossing Deidara's forehead protector up and down. The score is deep and cuts right through the logo. His nods at his handiwork and tosses it back to Deidara.

It doesn't seem like the kid is expecting it because he squeaks when the band hits his arm and then it clatters to the ground. Obito turns his head to him.

"What! I wasn't ready, hm," Deidara says, taking the forehead protector to look it over. "Ugly," he comments but puts it on anyway.

Obito doesn't even bother responding to that. He stands and heads over to the counter, rewrapping his bandages.

"Hey, hey, Mr. Obito, do you know any Uchiha other than you?"

Obito sighs, hands stilling.

"Don't call me that," he says.

"So do you, hm?" Deidara asks, suddenly at his leg.

Obito shrugs.

"You do!" Deidara laughs.

"It's none of your concern at the moment," Obito says, leaning down to pick Deidara up.

The boy is obedient and remains still as Obito adjusts him on his hip, arms wrapping around his shoulders. He's small enough for his age for this to still be comfortable.

Deidara reaches his hands out to run through Obito's hair, petting him until he figures out what he's going to say.

"Where are we going?" Deidara asks.

Sometimes it's nice to have an easily distracted partner.

"Up to you," Obito says. "We can go to Amegakure or Kirigakure. Which one do you prefer?"

"Amegakure, yeah?"

"It's a hidden village in the rain," Obito replies. "It's very hard to get in. You need special permission, so it's considered the safest village in the land."

"You have the special permission to get in?"

"Of course I do," Obito says. "I'll make sure you do, too."

"Okay!" Deidara says, throwing his hands up, tugging at his hair. The kid conveniently ignores his complains of pain. "I've never really heard of Amegakure before, yeah!"

"That's why it's safe," Obito says, reaching down to pick up Deidara's pack. He has filled it with numerous things – including his new clothes and clay pouch – since Zetsu got it for them. He hoists it over his other shoulder and begins to head toward the door.

Before they can, though, Deidara begins to thrash in his hold and Obito is forced to put the child down, watching as he scrambles back into the hotel room to rifle through his rolled up futon.

"Hurry up," Obito says. With the kid by his side, Obito can no longer travel quickly. Their only bet is a boat leaving for the port of Amegakure in less than twenty minutes.

"Yeah, yeah," Deidara says, flopping on top of the futon as he digs his arm deeper into the mattress, clearly trying to reach for something.

Obito leans against the wall, arms crossed as he waits for him.

"Got it," Deidara says, stumbling back to hold up a tiny clay bird. "I got the idea last night, hm!"

"Can it fly?" Obito asks.

"Uh, yeah," Deidara says, sounding extremely unsure of himself.

"Make one that can fly," Obito says, waving his hand. "Then make one big enough for people to sit on it. If you do that, then we won't need to hurry."

Deidara blinks at him.

"Come on," Obito says, stern.

Deidara jumps and then rushes out of the room. Obito follows him out, shutting the door behind him and heads down the stairs. He nods at the receptionist – notably not the same old man – and then hands him to key to their room. He writes something down and then thanks Obito for their stay.

Obito waves at Deidara again, finding the kid staring at some artwork they have hanging on the wall. He places a hand on his shoulder and leads him out of the hotel.

It's still a little too early for the rest of this lazy village to start moving, but Obito can already see signs of people milling about. They're not doing anything particularly productive, just some janitors sweeping the streets, or some farmers slowly setting up their stalls.

"That wasn't real art, hm," Deidara suddenly says, bringing Obito out of his thoughts.

"What was?"

"The thing they have on the wall," Deidara says. "It's not real art."

"Let me guess," Obito says, guiding Deidara toward the port, "your art is real art."

"Of course it is!" Deidara exclaims, reaching up to grab Obito's arm. "I will show the world!"

"Okay," Obito laughs.

"I will!" Deidara says. "Then people will cower in fear at the mere mention of my name! They will know the true meaning of my art, hm, they will know it by the singeing of their skin!"

"Alright, you pyromaniac," Obito says, ruffling Deidara's hair. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself."

Deidara falls quiet, looking down at something.

"Make it fly?" Deidara asks suddenly.

"Make it fly," Obito says after a few moments.

At the sound of the cargo ship tooting, Deidara perks up and begins to bound ahead, shaking off Obito's hand on his shoulder. "Are we taking that, yeah?" he asks but then runs off before Obito can even answer him.

Obito sighs. Zetsu appears beside him.

"Are you babysitting?" White Zetsu asks.

"I think this classifies as raising a child," Obito says.

"Isn't he too old to be raised?"

"Zetsu," Obito says, "if he's not a second older than eighteen, taking care of him classifies as raising him."

"Why are you raising him?"

Obito sighs again. He's not entirely sure.

"Do you want me to tell Pain?"

"Please," Obito says.

"Oki-doki," White Zetsu sing-songs and then sinks back into the earth.

"Come on!" Deidara shouts, turning back to him and waving his arms above his head.

Obito watches him for a moment before he jogs toward the port, following Deidara when the kid heads over to the ship.

"Be careful," Obito says when he catches up to Deidara, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're stowaways."

"Oh," Deidara blinks. "Are we not allowed to be on this ship?"

"No," Obito says, glancing at the sailors. They seem to be too preoccupied with the last of their shipment to be able to pay attention to them. "Now be quiet if you don't want to be caught, else you might be forced to be a cabin boy for twelve years."

"Twelve years?" Deidara echoes, eyes wide.

"Yes, or more," Obito says, nodding toward the end of the ship. When he sneaks toward it, Deidara follows silently. "I've seen it myself. Some stowaways get too bold and try to steal bread off of the sailors' tables. When they get caught, the captain orders them to be tortured just to make sure they're not a spy sent from an enemy village.

"See, these sailors are neutral and if the villages they work for think they're betraying them, then they'll lose all of their income. They're very protective of their jobs and status of being neutral. When the stowaway is deemed not a spy, they'll make them work for the crew without paying or feeding them. They usually die afterward, or get released if the particular captain is kind enough, but not before the stowaway has worked for at least ten years."

"I don't want that," Deidara mumbles.

"Neither do I," Obito says, "so you know what to do?"

"Be quiet?" Deidara asks.

"Yes," Obito nods. "Now close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close them."

Deidara closes his eyes.

Obito glances at the wooden hull of the ship. There are people on board already and it's too risky to try and cling to the side. He activates Kamui and takes hold of Deidara, letting the two of them dematerialize from the real world. He steps through the side of the boat and when the two of them emerges at the other side, Obito glances around to make sure no one is around before he deactivates his eye.

"Alright," Obito says, patting Deidara's head. "You can open your eyes."

Deidara blinks open his eyes and he gasps, clinging to Obito's side.

"What happened?"

"Remember what I said to do?"

"Be quiet," Deidara mumbles. "What happened?" he asks again, but this time keeping his voice low.

"We got on the ship," Obito replies, sitting down behind the crates with a sigh.

"Yeah, but–"

Obito reaches out to press his palm against Deidara's mouth. A moment later, two sailors walk by.

"I swear I heard something," one of them says.

"Probably just some rats," the other one replies.

"It was definitely not rats," the first one says. "You can't say we have rats."

"Oh," the second one says, clearly dumbfounded. "I thought the boss will just get us some cats to deal with it."

"If you want cats, you're better off keeping them as pets at home," the first one says. "Boss is allergic."

"Man," the second one says and then the crate Obito is leaning against creaks. The sailor is sitting on it.

"Besides," the first one says, sounding too close for comfort, "we're moving food this time. We can't have rats or that stupid 'god' and his 'angel' will kill us."

"That's stupid."

"It is. Can you believe the guy? Calling himself a god. If he's a god, I'm the goddamn Kraken."

The two of them laugh and then a voice calls from above the deck.

"Well, it's not rats," the first sailor says.

"Yeah," comes the reply, "It's probably just the people talking outside. These walls are deceptively thin."

A series of footsteps leading away from them can be heard.

When there's nothing more than the echoing slosh of seawater gently caressing the side of the ship, Obito lets go of Deidara's mouth.

"Wow," Deidara comments.

"Wow, indeed," Obito says. He leans back against the crate, grunting until he finds a comfortable spot against the hard wood. He closes his eyes, intent on sleeping the entire trip, but Deidara seems to have other plans.

"How did you know they were coming?" Deidara asks, poking his side.

"I'm a sensor-type," Obito opts to say, shoving Deidara's hand away.

"Cool," Deidara says.

He gets about a minute of silence before Deidara speaks up again.

"Are these people ninjas, yeah?"

"No," Obito responds, "but they probably have shinobi parents, or parents that have chakra."

"So, they have chakra?"

"Yes."

"But why aren't they shinobi?"

"Sometimes people don't want to be shinobi," Obito says.

"But why, yeah? It's so cool to be a shinobi."

"Being a shinobi means you and your loved ones are always at a higher risk of being in danger," Obito says, folding his hands on his stomach. "Some people don't want that and opt to live a quiet and honest life."

"Sounds boring," Deidara says.

Obito hums but doesn't respond.

He feels Deidara move and then a weight presses up against his side, burrowing closer as a lithe arm lays across his chest.

Obito doesn't know if he's okay with this position. He's not the kid's dad, nor does he want to admit that he's his guardian. He wants to say that he's the kid's mentor and someone who will look after him, but the kid seems content with just laying there so Obito refrains from commenting.

The boat begins to rock wildly; loud shouting can be heard from above the deck. Obito keeps an ear out for the instructions the captain is shouting at his crew, but since they're just general ones – and it seems like they will be making a straight shot to Amegakure – Obito doesn't bother with the rest of the monologue and settles back into his relaxed position.

With a final rock, the ship becomes steady once more, swaying with the motions of the sea.

Obito keeps his eyes closed until he feels something move on his stomach.

He cracks open his right eye, peering down on his stomach only to find Deidara moving his fingers. It's hard to tell what the kid is doing but he eventually notices the same pattern. He's trying to scratch the mouth.

"Are your palms okay?" Obito asks.

"Huh?" Deidara speaks up, startled. He takes a while to realize what Obito is saying. "Oh," he says when he comes to his senses, "yeah, I guess, hm. They're a bit itchy."

"Let me see," Obito says, sitting up and causing Deidara to have to move away.

The kid shuffles to sit on his legs and then holds his hands out, staring at them as they open and close on their own as if trying to get something out of their teeth without the help of his fingers.

Obito holds his hands, pretending to know what he's doing. He presses a thumb near the lip of one of the mouths and Deidara winces, letting out a yelp.

He scoffs.

"It almost feels like it's a wound and you're scabbing," Obito says.

"It does, hm," Deidara says.

"Ignore it," Obito says. "It will go away on its own."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who stole Iwagakure's kinjutsu. I'm just going on my knowledge on common wounds."

Deidara pouts.

Obito sighs, glancing up at the ceiling as he debates with himself. Eventually, some part of him wins the argument and he lets go of one of Deidara's hand, putting his now-free one on top of his right palm.

"This might hurt a little bit," he says and then applies the medical ninjutsu he had copied from Rin years ago.

"Whoa," Deidara says.

Obito looks up to watch his expression, finding his wide blue eyes shimmering underneath the gentle green glow. Everything about him lights up, just like it does when he creates new sculptures, but not as brightly as when he sets them off. It's one of his more insightful expressions, rather than a wild, wild emotion.

"Did you copy it?" Deidara asks.

"Yes," Obito responds, impressed that the kid knows.

"From who?"

"From someone who healed me a long time ago."

Deidara looks up at him and his eyes are scanning. Obito thinks he's searching his face, despite his mask being in the way. It lasts for a while before Deidara looks back down, wriggling his fingers.

"I feel better, hm," he says.

"Other hand," Obito says, ceasing the jutsu and letting go of Deidara's right hand.

Deidara immediately replaces it with his left hand and he repeats the process, watching as the mouth stops its irritated mouthing and relaxes into a lazy, toothy grin.

"There," Obito says when it looks like Deidara is no longer in any discomfort.

Deidara takes his hand back, examining them this way and that, holding them gently.

"Thank you, Mr. Obito," Deidara says, giving him a boyish grin.

"I said not to call me that," Obito mumbles and then leans back against the crate. He watches as Deidara scrambles back to be by his side, looking up intently at his mask.

"I suggest you better rest up," Obito says when Deidara opens his mouth to speak, shutting him up. "It's a long way to Amegakure and we're not taking any stops."

Deidara shuts his mouth, sporting a face of deep thought and then he opens his mouth again, "How long does it take for us to go to Amegakure?"

"At most a day, if we don't encounter anything on the way, judging by this ship's speed," Obito says.

"That's so long," Deidara complains.

"Can you fly?" Obito shoots back.

Deidara mumbles something underneath his breath and Obito sits up, raising a hand. Deidara winces and then apologizes.

Obito stares at him for a long time before leaning back down, shifting minutely to get back into the perfect position. He folds his hands on his stomach once more and closes his eyes.

He feels Deidara's eyes linger on him until he nuzzles up against his side again, resting his head on his chest and his arm draping across his torso. About two minutes later, the kid is out like a light.

Obito sighs through his nose and moves an arm – it jostles Deidara but the child doesn't awake from it – to wrap it around Deidara's shoulders, keeping him close. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

At the second horn of the ship, Obito blinks open his eyes. There's a subtle change in the air around him. It's a lot more humid and everything feels grimmer. He's arrived.

He moves to sit up but the weight on his chest reminds Obito that he's not alone.

Obito moves his arm and nudges Deidara gently. The kid doesn't budge, mumbling something in his sleep and then nuzzles himself deeper into Obito's side. He'd find it cute if they aren't on a time limit. Pain would not like it if he's late.

"Deidara," Obito says, keeping his voice low as the crew members begin to buzz into activity, shouting orders here and there.

Deidara hums and then he peers up, eyes barely open as they are still crusted shut with sleep. His face looks dopey and Obito weakly suppresses a smile.

"We're here," he says and then Deidara bolts up, rubbing at his mouth and glancing around the boat. He sighs and sits up, placing a hand on Deidara's frantic, golden head.

"Calm down," he says. "We're not off the boat yet. They're docking."

"Oh," Deidara says, blinking as if he had just been caught trying to count his fingers.

Obito ignores that and listens out to the sounds around them. People are frantic, shouting above the wind that is beginning to pick up and commenting on the light drizzle that always covers the land. Obito sits up straighter when he hears the captain shout and the sound of an anchor falling.

A few moments later, the ship gives a loud groan and the crew members begin to patter around the deck, probably loading off the immediate supplies. It won't be long until they move on to the lower deck.

"Okay," Obito whispers, nudging Deidara's shoulder. "Close your eyes."

"Are you going to do the magic again?" Deidara asks.

"It's not magic, now close your eyes."

Deidara does as he's told.

Obito takes hold of Deidara, hugging him close, and then steps through the side of the ship once more. They appear on the other side, landing on the port, and when the coast is clear, Obito allows the two of them to materialize once more.

The moment the rain makes contact with him, lightning flashes in the sky and thunder rumbles immediately after.

"Whoa," Deidara says. He didn't listen to Obito's prompting and already has his eyes open, looking around the village. Immediately to their left, there are already numerous shops lined up along the shoreline, the only thing preventing them from falling into the sea is an old and rickety looking wooden boardwalk that leads up to the port.

"Now be careful," Obito says and then Deidara runs off.

"Damn it," he mumbles to himself, hurrying after Deidara. He catches the kid before he is able to get any further, fingers gripping his collar so tightly that it might rip that piece of fabric off of his shirt.

"Listen to me," Obito grunts out, pulling Deidara close to him. Deidara turns and looks up at him, hair already turning wispy from being in the rain.

"But it's a new village!" Deidara exclaims.

"Be quiet," Obito chides him. "You have to listen to me if you want me to still take care of you."

Deidara pouts and crosses his arms but otherwise, he becomes obedient once more.

Obito shrugs off the little backpack and unzips it, taking out a robe similar to the one he's wearing and hands it to Deidara.

"Put this on," he says, "and keep the hood up."

Deidara takes it from his hand and unzips it, swinging it over his shoulders in a dramatic display and wraps himself in it. He shoves his arms through the sleeves and then reaches back to put on the hood. It's a bit too big on him but as Deidara peers up at him from under the rim of his hood, Obito finds that he doesn't mind it at all.

"Alright," he says, handing Deidara his pack. "Now follow me."

Deidara stumbles to keep up with him as he leads the kid through the streets of Amegakure. A lot of people cast suspicious glances at them but none of them make a move to stop them. They're all under the belief that their god would protect them, ever since his debut.

Obito stops when they arrive near the foot of Pain's tower. He refuses to let Deidara get roped in on this whole Akatsuki business, so he turns and leans down to get closer to Deidara, talking into his ear.

"Go to the restaurant over there," he says, shoving a string of coin into Deidara's hands. "Get whatever you want. I'll be there later."

Deidara glances at him and then looks up at the towering skyscrapers around them. He looks intimidated. Nodding, Deidara takes the coins and hurries toward the restaurant that Obito pointed at. He doesn't turn to leave until he sees Deidara getting escorted in.

Zetsu pokes his head from the wall beside him.

"Watch over him," Obito says, not bothering to turn to Zetsu. "Make sure he's safe and no one hurts him."

"Okay," White Zetsu says.

"Pain has already been informed of his presence," Black Zetsu adds.

Obito nods once and Zetsu does as he's told.

He turns and looks up at the tower, grimacing as he activates Kamui. It takes him mere moments to appear inside of the tower, materializing right beside Konan.

If the woman is startled by his sudden appearance, she doesn't show it. Instead, she sports her usual indifferent expression, turning her head just a fraction to address him.

"He's waiting," she says, deadpan.

Obito nods once and walks into the room she's guarding.

Nagato looks up from his position, looking as lively as he did the day Yahiko died. He tries not to recall that day fondly.

"I have gathered some information on the new recruits," Nagato rasps, not bothering to beat around the bush. He nods toward the pile of files resting on the table beside them.

Obito heads over to the table, leafing through the files and nodding approvingly at most of the selection. There are some who he has never heard before, he isolates their folders.

"Do you approve of them?" Nagato pipes up.

"Sasori and Kakuzu," Obito says, picking up the files for those who he does not recognize the names of.

Nagato nods, looking mighty pleased with himself for someone who is strapped to a giant machine. "They are a fine choice," he says, sounding awfully like he's patting his own back. "What about the rest?"

"I don't recognize their names," Obito says, opening one at random. "Are they supposed to be their partners?"

"Kakuzu has voiced his desire to work alone," Nagao says. "Sasori doesn't seem like the kind to like a partner either."

"We have to work as two-man cells," Obito says.

"I know," Nagato says. "I told them as much and these are the ones that I have available for work. Sasori doesn't have any comments but Kakuzu…"

Obito nods, glancing down at the folders.

"I'll test these people," he says. "Tell Sasori and Kakuzu that they're clear to start whenever they can."

Nagato nods. He looks as though he's expecting Obito to leave.

Obito glances down at Kakuzu's file again.

"Assign the group's financial situation to Kakuzu," he says, looking up at Nagato. "And let Sasori manage our network of spies."

"That…" Nagato tries to begin but Obito raises a hand.

"They must stay," Obito says. "They're prominent names and their powers are undisputed. Their abilities are much appreciated."

Nagato nods.

"Sasori's ability to keep people loyal to him is well-known and how are we on finance again?" he asks and Nagato doesn't answer. "It won't hurt to have someone with experience to oversee our entire financial situation. They will benefit us tremendously."

Nagato breathes heavier than before and Obito can tell that he's upset, but knows that the man will not disobey him.

"Yes, Madara," Nagato says.

Obito nods at him and tucks the three folders into his robe.

"May I ask you about something?"

"Don't waste my time," Obito warns.

"Who is the kid?"

Obito tenses, which in turn makes Nagato freeze.

"That is none of your concern," Obito hisses.

"I was just wondering if we were recruiting him," Nagato says carefully, "because, if we are, we will need to make a new uniform and if he's still young–"

Obito lifts his chin and then Nagato cuts himself off.

"Yes, Madara," Nagato says after, sounding shaky.

"I'll report to you afterward whether or not to hire these people," Obito says, patting the folders hidden in his robe and then he activates Kamui, disappearing from Nagato's room, but not before hearing him call out for Konan.

He appears in front of the tower again, partially hidden from prying eyes by staying near the wall. Obito turns and finds Zetsu's head by his side.

"He's fine," White Zetsu says.

Obito nods and heads out, walking toward the restaurant.

It doesn't take him long to find Deidara sitting by himself. He nods to the waitress – he's visited here multiple times – and then heads toward the booth Deidara occupies.

"Hey," Obito says, announcing his presence before he slips in, sitting opposite of the kid.

Deidara jumps at his voice but he quickly calms down, grinning wide and pushing a plate of dango toward him.

"Hi!" Deidara says. "What did you do, yeah?"

"Some adult stuff," Obito says.

"Oh," Deidara says, blinking.

"Not that kind of adult stuff," Obito says.

Deidara giggles and then shoves a Bakudan roll in his mouth. Obito uses this time to finish the plate of dango – it's gone a little cold but it's still delicious.

When Deidara looks up again, he looks like he's been punched by someone and glares at his mask. The kid throws a silly tantrum on his own, refusing to look at Obito immediately, turning to look at the rest of the restaurant instead.

Obito lets the kid have his fun before he pats the folders in his robe, making a sound that attracts Deidara's attention.

"We have something to do," he says.

"We?" Deidara echoes.

"Yes, you and I," Obito says.

Deidara perks up, leaning forward to try and snatch the folders from Obito's robes. "What is it?" he asks.

Obito reaches out to keep Deidara steady, not wanting the kid to lose his balance and fall on the table to end up with a chest full of Bakudan rolls and dango sauce. Eventually, his struggling proves to be a little too much.

"We'll be testing out some people and their abilities," Obito says as he hoists Deidara over the table, letting the kid sit on his lap. Deidara reaches out to pat at his chest, trying to fish the files out of their hiding spots. "Your bombs will come in handy."

Deidara stops his groping and looks up at Obito, eyes widening and the blue of his eyes becoming impossibly bright.

"Really?" he asks, breathless.

"You said you can be useful," Obito smiles, reaching out to comb Deidara's hair back.

"I can, yeah!" Deidara jumps, reaching up to wrap his slim arms around Obito's neck.

Obito laughs and returns the hug, patting his back reassuringly.

"Come on, then," Obito says but Deidara squirms in his grasp.

"Wait!" Deidara says, climbing off of his lap and heading back to his side of the table. He quickly finishes his Bakudan rolls and downs his tea.

Obito waits patiently until he's done and when Deidara slides off of the couch, he moves to grab the bill, but Deidara's small hands are somehow faster, taking the slip of paper from underneath Obito's hand and hurrying to the counter.

He watches him, amused, knowing that Deidara will just use Obito's money to pay for it, but finds the action endearing nonetheless. He heads over to the kid and pats his head when Deidara hands him the change.

"How nice," Obito says, pocketing the coins and leading Deidara out of the shop. "Let's get out of here."

55

As they wander the plains of the field, Deidara is suspiciously quiet. Obito turns to find him – not for the first time today – lagged behind, staring off into the bushes like he's studying some sort of great art.

Then again, Obito thinks, he probably is.

Obito gives up on snapping Deidara out of it, noticing that he's holding the same little bird that he fished out earlier today. He heads over to the kid instead, leaning down to slot his hands underneath his arms. Deidara blinks up at him, surprised, but doesn't complain as Obito hoists him over his shoulders, letting Deidara sit as he does the walking for the two of them.

Obito can feel Deidara's hands rest on the top of his head, shifting occasionally. He wonders what modifications he's making to the bird.

A moment later, as he begins to actually pick up the chakra signature of one of the people from Nagato's folders – he doesn't remember their names. Why would he remember their names if they're not going to be useful? – he notices that there's a distinct flapping sounding on top of his head.

He blinks and then it moves to fly ahead of him.

Deidara is laughing.

"You did it," Obito comments, looking at the small clay bird. It acts just as a normal bird would, flapping its wings as it hovers in the air, doing a flip mid-air when Deidara makes a whoop.

The bird eventually flies back and lands on top of Obito's head – besides Deidara's hands – and Obito feels Deidara rest his chin on him too.

"Congratulations," Obito says, patting Deidara's thigh.

"I think I can make more models," Deidara says mostly to himself. "I have so many ideas right now, hm!"

"Do you?" Obito asks but then he stops walking, looking further away into the woods. He furrows his eyebrows and leaps up into the trees, kneeling on one knee as he looks down on the dirt road. Deidara seems to sense the sudden change and falls silent, too.

There are fresh tracks on the ground.

"He's near," Obito whispers and he feels Deidara nod.

Obito leaps from one branch to the next, following the tracks. They disappear after a few meters but it's enough for Obito to track down his exact position. Obito activates his Sharingan to scan the area further, pinpointing the tell-tale blue chakra in the distance.

He takes one final leap and lands silently on a tree just a few feet away from the man of the hour.

"There," Obito whispers to Deidara. Deidara peers down, having the height advantage now, and he hears him scoff.

"What's the point of this again?" Deidara asks.

"We need to test if he's strong or not," Obito says.

"If he's strong or not," Deidara parrots and the bird he made earlier hops happily on Obito's head.

Without another word, the bird flies toward the man, flapping its wings happily to create the illusion of it being a friendly bird, rather than a threatening bomb, just as Obito anticipated it would. The man notices it right away, raising a hand toward it.

Deidara's made for being stealthy, Obito realizes. While his bombs aren't exactly perfect for silent killings, the fact that he's a long-range fighter with the ability to disguise his bombs as harmless forest animals make it so Deidara can get away with almost everything, as long as he can stay far enough away.

Obito nods to himself, glad. As long as the enemy is clueless of all the species of animals or lack half a brain, they would foolishly be in the belief that it's an actual animal rather than –

An explosion sets off and Obito barely registers it, staring blankly at the ball of fire rolling on the spot where the man was originally standing on. When the thick black smoke fades away and the smoldering flames die down to tiny patches, there's nothing left of the man other than a few pieces of singed cloth fluttering about in the air.

"Well," Obito says, scanning the area for any chakra signatures. "It seems like he's not that impressive after all. Good work, Deidara."

Deidara makes a sound and then he grunts when he feels a heavier weight on his head, arms wrapping around him.

"I told you I can do it, yeah!" he says. "Aren't you glad you took me in?"

It seems like an odd way of saying 'thank you' but Obito takes it, nodding along to Deidara's words.

"Yes, yes," Obito says, patting Deidara's leg. "You're real great, after all."

Obito glances at the burning pit, nodding to himself once more. Yes, at this rate, Deidara will surely become a force not to be reckoned with.

55

Obito appears beside Konan again. With his Sharingan activated, he catches a slight movement of her shoulders when he appears from the shadows. He deactivates it when Konan addresses him.

"Madara," she says with a softer voice than usual. "He's waiting."

Obito nods and heads inside the room, already fishing out the folders he took with him yesterday.

Nagato moves to greet him, a bunch of metallic clinking sounds with every movement of his.

"Madara," Nagato says, "you have returned with news."

"They're trash," Obito says, tossing the folders back on the table. "Only one of them is still alive."

Nagato seems surprised to hear this but he doesn't say anything to address that. Instead, he glances down at the folders spread out across the table, noticing the marks that Obito has made on the covers.

"The remaining one might be worth our time," Obito says, flipping open his folder. "Pair him up with Kakuzu."

"But–"

"With Kakuzu," Obito repeats himself.

"Yes, Madara."

"I want a new batch by the end of this month," Obito continues to say as if Nagato has not said anything. "Has Kakuzu and Sasori been informed of their new positions?"

"Yes," Nagato says. "Zetsu has already met with Sasori and he's willing to bring in his existing network of spies for our use if Zetsu agrees to work with him too."

"Granted," Obito says after a few seconds of thinking. "And Kakuzu?"

"More agreeable than when we first met with him," Nagato replies. "I think the prospect of being able to hunt those who have large bounties on their heads excites him."

"As it should," Obito responds and then he turns to leave, but not before reminding Nagato firmly in his rumbling voice, "and a new batch by the end of the month."

"Yes, Madara," Nagato says and then Obito swirls out of reality.

The next time Obito materializes back in reality, he stands in the middle of the cheap hotel room that he rented for the two of them in some poor village. He keeps his footsteps quiet as he walks toward Deidara to ensure he's still asleep. The boy is snoring softly. He heads to the opposite side of the room and faces the wall. Zetsu appears a moment later.

"Yes?" White Zetsu whispers.

"I approve of Sasori's request," Obito says in a hushed tone.

"He wants all of our information," Black Zetsu says.

"Be quiet," Obito hisses and the three of them remain silent until Deidara's snoring returns. "I want him to think you are working for him," Obito says. "Do not reveal any information too sensitive, but feed him anything you deem necessary to keep him happy. He doesn't need to know everything right now – and when he's fully incorporated into the team, he will be too busy trying to gather information for us to be able to get anything from you."

"How long do you think that would take?" White Zetsu asks.

"At most two weeks," Obito replies. "Sasori is not known for his willingness to wait."

"He doesn't have a partner yet," Black Zetsu points out, notably quieter this time.

"He doesn't need one at the moment," Obito says. "He can use this time to torture a few of the couriers we have captured. I don't care what happens to them, I just want names."

Zetsu nods and sinks back into the wall.

Obito sighs heavily, reaching up to tug his mask over his head and runs a bandaged hand across his face, rubbing soothing circles at his temples. This plan needs to set off soon, he thinks to himself, lest he loses himself in all of this insanity.

He heads back to the middle of the room, unfurling a futon set to the side and then he hears Deidara mumble in his sleep. He turns to watch the kid, heart feeling heavy.

He watches Deidara, wondering what it could be that is driving him to look forward to each day. He wants to show off his powers, Obito thinks to himself, but is that all he wants?

He reaches out to soothe Deidara's hair, pushing rebelling strands away from his face.

Maybe there is more. Maybe he's just too blind to see it now.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

Beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN (was Kate_Black14).

NOTE: Obito can still pick Deidara up because Deidara is considered small for his age and sex. He barely reaches Obito's chest at this point and while it's difficult to pick him up, for sure, Obito is strong enough to do it. Also, I don't think it's ever stated when Sasori and Kakuzu joined the Akatsuki so I made it up here, but if it is, please tell me. I'll find a way to edit it into the semi-canon timeline this is on. Whether or not I'm successful, I'll edit this to let you all know.

I am putting the estimated amount of chapters for this fic as seven. Originally, it was five, but halfway through this chapter, I realized it was getting too long to fit everything I wanted, so I split it. Whilst on my way home from work, I got an idea, which I wrote down once I'm home - which lead to me realizing that it would be too sudden for both scenes to be together, so I split those too.

Taking a page off of LipsOfFrost's book.

Hopefully, this would be the final amount of chapters and I don't add too many. It might go out of hand and I won't be able to rein it back in. We all want this to have a happy ending, right? :)

FIRST YEAR (STILL):  
Deidara is aged **TWELVE (12)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-THREE (23)**.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot tumblr dot com) for more information, updates, and generally similar shenanigans!

Please leave a review to tell me if you liked (or hated) this chapter! I hope you'll look forward to the next chapter!


	3. Interchanging

_Remember to leave a review._

* * *

Obito leans against the tree, arms crossing in front of his chest as he stares at Deidara, who is currently lying on the grass, limbs spread around him.

"How long are you going to sulk for?" Obito asks.

"Hm," Deidara mumbles, rolling over to his side, his arms folding to pillow under his head.

"Well, when you're done throwing a tantrum, you can come over here," Obito says.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum, hm!" Deidara shouts. "I'm not going over there; you're going to toss me again."

Obito shakes his head. Ever since he turned thirteen, Deidara has been exhibiting classic teenager traits. He thought that it would be different for a smart kid like him, but it seems like not even 'prodigies' could escape from this inevitable issue.

"I'm not going to toss you again," Obito says patiently. "Now get up."

"No!" Deidara curls up tighter. "You're always way too harsh, hm! There is no reason for you to always go so hard on me! I can't learn if I'm always just thrown around, yeah!"

"This is what sparring is," Obito says, beginning to feel annoyed. They have to go soon. "Now get over here, don't make me repeat myself a third time."

"Fuck you, yeah! You never listen to me!"

With that, Deidara gets up – oh, so now he doesn't have trouble – and runs over to the other side of the grove.

Obito leans his head back against the tree, a loud, audible thump sounding when he does.

"Do you want me to get rid of him?" White Zetsu's voice sounds from beside him.

"He is just a child," Obito says, sighing heavily through his nose. "Who taught him that language?"

"When you were in Amegakure," White Zetsu replies. "You were off telling Nagato to recruit Juzo and you left him by the docks to explore the shops."

"Sailors," Obito shakes his head.

"He also stole something," Black Zetsu says.

"He's stolen before."

"Is this how everyone raises children?" White Zetsu asks.

"I am way more lenient than real parents."

"Are you not a father?"

"No! This kid is nothing to me but an apprentice and a follower, just as he said a year ago. He even refers to me as a 'mentor,' so I don't think he sees me as a father figure."

"That's sad," White Zetsu says. "It would be nice to finally get to be introduced to him."

"He doesn't need to be in the organization," Obito shakes his head.

"Hey, look, he's coming back," White Zetsu says.

"Of course, he is," Obito replies. "Kids always do. At this age, they think they're always right and very misunderstood. He's going to ask me to apologize to him and promise that I won't be so rough anymore. Watch."

Zetsu sinks back into the tree and remains there.

Deidara stops storming over to him when he's a few meters away, head hung low and little hands balled up into fists.

"I did what you asked, hm," Deidara says, trying to sound angry but his shaking voice only gives Obito the impression of a naughty child knowing full well what he had done wrong and is expecting punishment. "But I'll only stay if you say sorry for being so harsh with me and never do it again, yeah!"

Obito rolls his eyes, reaching into his robe to take the sketchbook he had gotten a few days ago – Deidara had not been agreeable these few days, so he hadn't been able to find a great window of opportunity to give it to him.

He is also forced to stop using the bag Zetsu gave him. Deidara said something about privacy and how he's all grown up now and then there was mention of how he's rough with the bag and his creations inside would break.

Obito holds out the sketchbook to Deidara, shaking it a little.

"Is this apology enough?" he asks.

Deidara takes a few moments to look up from the ground, glancing at the book.

"What is it?" Deidara says, sounding disgusted.

"A sketchbook," Obito replies. "It's for your art. I notice that you take all of your inspiration from nature and I thought that, if you can't immediately mold clay or have a solid enough idea to make it physical, you could just sketch it here until it's an even greater idea."

Deidara is still sporting that disgusted look. Obito knows why.

Awkwardly, Deidara reaches out and takes the sketchbook from his hand.

He's struggling with himself, Obito notices. He's probably deciding whether or not he should apologize, or just remain silent. Obito doesn't want to waste any more time and gestures to Deidara's bag.

"Come on," he says, "we have to go."

Deidara blinks harshly and looks up at him.

"Where are we going?"

"Kirigakure," Obito says. It's been a while since he checked up on Kisame.

He turns to head out of the grove and hears a charade of noise behind him, and then a pair of footsteps follows.

"Why?" Deidara asks, struggling to keep up with him while trying to shove the sketchbook into his bag.

"Business," Obito replies.

"You're always business this, business that," Deidara complains. "I'm old enough now, hm, you can tell me what you do! I'm not a kid anymore!"

Obito sighs, struggling with the desire to pinch the bridge of his nose. He feels a migraine coming and the regret of picking up this kid a year ago is beginning to haunt him.

He was so agreeable before, so obedient. Where did his sweet little bomber go?

"I'll tell you if you can make us fly," Obito says. "If it wasn't for you, I could have finished all of my work months ago."

Deidara frowns at him and he can feel the weight of his glare against his skin. "If you're so upset with me, hm," Deidara grumbles, "then just tell me you want me to leave!"

Obito wants to scream. He really does.

"Make a bird big enough to fly with," Obito forces himself to say, peeling his lips back in the most threatening smile he can manage – and it goes unnoticed due to his mask.

Deidara is mumbling something under his breath and Obito doesn't even have the strength in him to tell him off.

The forest they're in is fairly close to Kirigakure but there's still a considerable amount of distance between them and the village. It will take them days to reach the hidden village but since Obito rarely needs any rest, he doesn't think it is a problem until Deidara begins to complain – again.

"I'm tired," Deidara says.

"I think there's a small town up ahead," Obito replies.

"You said that twenty minutes ago, hm," Deidara whines. Obito could hear his voice crack toward the end.

"It's just up ahead," Obito says.

"Carry me, yeah," Deidara continues to make that annoying noise.

"You've gotten a bit taller," Obito says. "I can't carry you as easily."

"Then give me a piggy-back ride," Deidara stomps the ground loudly.

"If you still have the energy to stomp, then you still have the energy to walk. Come on."

Obito takes three steps and then realizes that Deidara isn't following him anymore.

"Oh my god, kid," Obito mumbles under his breath, turning back to him. Deidara stands, hands on his hips and sporting a rather defiant look on his face.

Obito rolls his eyes and turns back around, kneeling down so that Deidara can climb on.

He can feel his smugness radiate off of him as Deidara attaches himself to his back, wrapping his arms around his neck. Obito grips Deidara's legs and when he stands, jumps a few times to adjust the – slightly taller than before – kid so that he has a better grip before moving on.

On the way, Deidara is pointing at things this way and that, uttering useless comments that grit at Obito's patience. He doesn't seem so tired now that he has a free ride.

This has to come bite him in the ass.

"Do you still want to go to the village or not?" Obito asks.

"Whatever," Deidara says.

"'Whatever' is not a choice," Obito says. He will fight snarky by being snarky.

"Whatever," Deidara repeats, knocking his chin on the top of Obito's head.

"Fucking brat," Obito mumbles under his breath.

"What?" Deidara asks.

"Nothing," Obito says and continues on. If he has to carry this demon of a child all the way to the village hidden in the mist, he will. One day, Deidara will repay his kindness. He will make sure it happens.

Obito doesn't stop to rest at all. When the sun begins to rise again, he hears Deidara's snoring fill his ears. Knowing that the kid is out cold, Obito allows himself to cheat and activates Kamui.

He doesn't put them in the village, though. Obito reappears just at the outskirts of the land and continues forward as though nothing is amiss. Deidara remains dozing on his back.

He keeps walking and walking and walking until the air around them becomes humid and thick until he can barely see his hand in front of his face if he holds it up.

Deidara sniffs once and then he feels his head lift from his shoulders.

"…what?" Deidara mumbles, glancing around.

"We're nearly there," Obito says.

"…quick…" Deidara mumbles, pressing his forehead against his shoulder once more.

"Tell me when you want to start walking on your own again," Obito says.

Deidara is mumbling his response but it's so muffled that Obito can't catch it no matter how hard he strains to listen.

Opting to just ignore it, Obito continues on. He takes the hidden roads behind the village and winds his way around the buildings, expertly weaving his way through the watchful gazes of the village's early morning guards.

When he arrives at the main building, he kneels down and lets Deidara get off his back.

Deidara wobbles when he's set on the ground, as though his own legs are foreign to him. Obito places a hand on his shoulder and reaches for his forehead protector, tugging it loose and putting it on Deidara's bag.

Deidara watches him, still groggy and unable to protest, but manages to squeeze out a question asking him what he's doing.

"I'm making sure you don't get caught, kiddo," Obito says. "I am friends with all security in Amegakure, but here in Kirigakure, we're still considered outlaws. We're not allowed to be here at all."

"Oh," Deidara mumbles, clearly not understanding at all. He pats Deidara's back and gestures to one of the teahouses opposite the building.

"I'll be in this building here," he says, "so go over to that place and wait for me. Order whatever you want, I'll come pay."

Deidara hums and follows his instructions.

So the only time he's agreeable is if he's sleepy, huh?

Obito shakes his head and walks through the wall, appearing right in the Mizukage's room.

Karatachi Yagura is still asleep. Glancing out the window in a lazy attempt to gouge the time, he doesn't think it's odd that he continues to rest.

Obito peers over the Fourth Mizukage and rests his bandaged hand on his forehead, staring at the door as he checks his genjutsu.

It's still in place. No one in this place is suspecting a thing.

Perhaps it is the ruthlessness that he is making Yagura exhibit that is preventing his men from speaking their minds. Obito really doesn't care, as long as they keep their thoughts to themselves until after his plan is done.

Snapping his fingers, Yagura awakes from his slumber and he disappears in the shadows, hiding in plain sight. He puppets the other and the two of them walk out into the hallway.

He watches, passively, as guards bow down and greet him. Rarely do others stop him in his tracks or get in his way, beyond the few that have some special documents for the Fourth Mizukage only.

When he arrives at his office, Obito moves in and lets Yagura go about his day, meandering through mountains of paperwork to find the most interesting ones.

There is no new information about traitors.

As Yagura signs off some paperwork, Obito continues his search of the office, looking for anything remotely helpful. Juzo is from this village and there's no doubt there's some information about that man.

Removing it will be beneficial for everyone involved.

He pulls a dusty tome from its spot on the shelf. He gives it a quick glance, and upon confirming its contents, he sucks it into his pocket dimension. It won't do them good if Juzo must return to this village for a mission and have everyone already know his secrets.

Obito glances at Yagura.

That guy will definitely destroy Juzo, given the chance. Perhaps it is a good idea to send him back after all.

Speaking of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist…

Obito turns his gaze at the door and as if on cue, a patterned knocking sounds from the other side of the wood.

"Come in, Kisame," Yagura says.

Kisame pushes through the door, hands full with a wooden crate. He kicks it shut with his leg when he enters the room.

"Mr. Madara," Kisame greets Obito, bowing his head and putting down the crate on the Mizukage's table.

"What have you brought me?" Obito asks.

"I caught someone trying to burn this," he replies, prying open the crate with his bare hands and tossing the cover away. "Perhaps it is useful."

"Maybe," Obito rumbles, heading over and peering in to gouge its contents.

"What other news do you have?" Obito asks as he reaches in, leafing through several scrolls and notebooks of the sort. One parchment marked with 'Three-Tails' catches his eye and he takes it out.

"Nothing unusual," Kisame replies. "Biwa Juzo deserted the village and took Kubikiribocho with him."

"Yes, he's joined the Akatsuki," Obito nods.

"The Akatsuki," Kisame echoes. "I've heard many things about them."

"Anything important?"

"Only that they're hiring right now," Kisame replies. "But it seems like only the strongest of missing-nins are allowed to join because formidable names have been destroyed after seeking employment."

"Interesting," Obito feigns ignorance and continues to scan the notebook, pausing when he recognizes a familiar name.

"What is it?" Kisame asks, noticing his pause.

Obito looks at Yagura, who is still obediently working.

"Just some information about the Three-Tails," Obito says, grossly simplifying the information.

Rin died because of that.

"I see," Kisame says, giving him a toothy grin. "Well, I'm off for a mission."

Obito nods.

Kisame heads toward the door but before he leaves the room, he turns back to face Obito.

"Be careful of Ao," he says. "I heard he's appointed to be the Mizukage's bodyguard by the elders."

Obito shuts the notebook at the same time Kisame shuts the door behind him.

He glares at the cover of the book, willing it to catch on fire. He never liked Kirigakure in the first place and he knew there was something suspicious about the ANBU that appeared after the death of Rin. He didn't want to give it too much thought back then since he had been swimming between the lines of consciousness and unconsciousness, but it is all beginning to make sense now.

In his mind's eye, he sees the image of Kakashi running Rin through once more.

Sure, the report says that the subject – Rin – committed suicide by forcing her teammate – Kakashi – to kill her, but Kakashi could have found another way if he's really the genius everybody claims he is.

No matter the circumstance, he had tasked Kakashi to take care of Rin – the only person he cared about other than his grandmother – and he failed to even do that with his supposed superior intellect. It is unforgivable.

Completely unforgivable.

He refuses to believe that Kakashi had no choice in the matter. He refuses to believe that he couldn't have prevented her from killing herself. He refuses to believe that he couldn't have made sure she was safely returned to their village so that specialists could extract the Three-Tails, time bomb or not.

All of this is bullshit. Kirigakure started everything.

And now, the mere presence of Ao, the Byakugan user, is enough to serve as a threat of overthrowing his puppet Mizukage.

He feels his eye twitch at the mere thought of that man and turns to face Yagura, leaning both hands on his desk. The Fourth Mizukage stares blankly back at him, not registering Obito's presence.

"This is all your fault," Obito growls. "Everything is going to crumble before your eyes and there's nothing you can do about it."

With all this new information swirling in his mind, Obito angrily sets Yagura to autopilot and teleports away, appearing just behind the teahouse he ordered Deidara to go to.

He glances inside. A waitress comes out to greet him, asking him if he wants a table. He shakes his head, peering over her shoulder to find no trace of the kid.

Great, he can feel another headache forming.

Obito's mind forcibly replays the scene of Rin being impaled by Kakashi's jutsu. With each heartbeat, he can feel his headache begin to worsen.

Reaching up, he scratches at his scalp to try and lessen its effects as he walks around the street. He hasn't been gone long, he thinks; the kid can't have gone far.

Obito walks down the streets of Kirigakure, walking carefully to make sure he's not bumping into any pedestrians.

He finally spots him standing outside of a store, gazing longingly at something on display.

Obito approaches him silently, standing behind him to see what he's looking at.

There's nothing impressive enough to catch his eye specifically but once he's leaning down at Deidara's level, he notices that the kid is staring at a hanging paper lantern shaped like a pig. It does bear some resemblance to some of Deidara's static clay sculptures.

"Do you want that?" Obito asks, ignoring the way Deidara jumps at the sound of his voice. He reaches out to steady him.

"Um," Deidara mumbles, staring down at his sandals. "Are you not mad that I didn't go eat, yeah?"

Obito sighs, unable to find it in himself to care at the moment. He stands and heads over to the store, attracting the owner's attention.

After a quick exchange, Obito points at the lantern and the owner helps him take it down. Obito pays for it and turns around, holding it out for Deidara, ignoring his wide eyes.

"Come on, kid," Obito says impatiently, "take it. I'm not going to hold it for you."

Deidara reaches out and grabs the handle, using his free hand to lift the body, examining it this way and that.

Obito wonders where all that innocence will go once he grows up. He feels a strange pain in his chest and he tries to forget the smile Rin always sported. It always seemed sweeter when she was not looking at him. It always seemed brighter when she looked at Kakashi.

There is nowhere else to go but Obito forces Deidara to follow him either way. The kid wanted to be a follower, so he's going to follow until he thinks he's had enough. Obito wanders away from Kirigakure, far enough until the air clears and the sky brightens around them.

There's an awkward sniffling coming from somewhere to his left.

He ignores it.

The awkward sniffling turns into some forced coughing.

He continues to ignore it.

He hears a sigh and then he feels a small tug at his sleeve. Obito doesn't stop walking but he gives Deidara a glance. After a year, the kid seems to be able to pick up on the subtle movements of his head and guess his expressions, even through his mask.

Teenage mood swings aside, Deidara's keen senses have not dulled with hormones.

"What?" Obito forces himself to ask.

"Is, er," Deidara begins, but then cuts himself off, still holding on to Obito's sleeve as he glances off to the side, staring at something interesting and harmless at the other side of the wilderness.

Obito hopes that it is the last of it. His wish does not come true.

"Is something bothering you, yeah?" Deidara finally manages to say in a quiet voice.

Obito pretends that he didn't hear him.

He can feel Deidara become more irritated and he feels another series of tugging on his sleeve.

"Are you mad at me, yeah?" Deidara asks, sounding extremely disgusted.

Obito ignores him.

"If you are, I just want you to know that I _am_ right, hm," Deidara says. "You didn't need to be so rough."

He responds with more silence.

"Look," Deidara says, stomping his feet with every step they take. "I can't learn anything if you don't show me how to block your attacks, yeah!"

A series of birds tweet at each other overhead. Nothing else greets Deidara's words.

"Can't you see that I'm a long-range fighter, hm?" Deidara continues, voice shaking once more. "Learning taijutsu isn't going to help me, yeah! I want to focus more on my art, so – so... so you better give me more chances to use my art, instead of making a fool out of me! Hm!"

"Shut up."

"What?"

"I said shut up," Obito says, flat. "This isn't about you."

Deidara seems to – finally – understand the weight of the situation and he falls quiet. Obito can sense that he's offended.

"Nothing is about me, is it?" Deidara grumbles underneath his breath.

Oh, he must think he is really smart and snarky for having come up with that response.

Obito pulls his arm away from Deidara's grasp, uncaring that it makes Deidara stumble, and he reaches with the same arm to grasp at Deidara's long hair, keeping him upright.

"You asked to tag along," Obito reminds him grimly, dragging him for a few steps before letting him go.

Deidara stops walking, probably leaning down to grasp at his hair, but Obito doesn't need to worry about the kid running away because he's seen the way Deidara looks at him when he thinks Obito isn't looking.

Whatever stupidity complex that made Deidara think he was 'cool' for killing a squad of Leaf ninja is the same stupidity complex that makes him think he's obliged to stay, unstable teenage hormones or not.

Not a few moments later, a pair of tiny footsteps echo his own once more but he duly notes that Deidara is quite a bit behind him.

They walk until he hears Deidara complain once more. Obito is half tempted to just teleport away but there's a nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him he shouldn't.

Sighing and closing his eyes, Obito stops in his tracks. Deidara lets out a quiet 'oof' when he bumps into him.

He glances around them and then gestures to the side. He says nothing as he heads over to the area, pressing a hand on the ground before lowering himself on the ground.

Obito leans against the tree he's seated in front of and crosses his arms, resting his head back against the bark and closes his eyes. He feels Zetsu's presence behind him.

Even without having to look, he knows Deidara is walking around the small clearing, pacing between the three trees that surround the grassy area. Whatever it is that he's doing, Obito mentally gives him five seconds before he loses it.

Five seconds pass and Deidara stops pacing, standing right in front of him.

"Speak," Obito says.

His words startle Deidara and the kid backs away before coming back not a minute later.

"Something's bothering you," Deidara finally says.

Obito doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to anyway because Deidara continues to talk.

"Look – I, uh, I know…" Deidara struggles with his words and he begins to pace once more. Obito can tell he's trying to act more mature.

"I know I was wrong, okay?" Deidara says, or more so screams. "I shouldn't be mad at you, hm. I know you didn't have to take me in and I forced you to. There, yeah. Are you happy now?"

Obito remains quiet.

"F–" Deidara stomps his feet.

"Come here," Obito says.

"What?" Deidara stops mid-stomp but quickly regains his dignity. "No."

"Sit down," Obito orders.

Deidara hurries to his side, sitting down next to him with his legs crossed.

"When I was your age," Obito begins, "I lost someone dear to me. It felt like the end of the world – it still does – and effectively, I've lost everything because I was an orphan. My grandmother raised me – she's gone now, too."

Deidara fidgets.

"I made a mistake and just now I found out that it's all just a misunderstanding," he continues. "But there's no turning back."

"Life's too short," Deidara tries to offer.

"No, life's too long," Obito says.

They're quiet for a long time and then he feels Deidara lean into him, arms wrapping around him to the best of his ability.

He lets Deidara struggle for a few moments. It's been a while since Deidara deemed him worthy enough for a hug.

Obito huffs through his nose and sits up, opening his eyes and returning Deidara's embrace.

He lets Deidara hug him for a while before he pats at Deidara's back.

"Since you're not really that tired," he says, "you should go practice your art."

Deidara agrees.

"Make a bird," Obito continues.

Deidara nods.

"That can support some weight," Obito adds.

Deidara hesitates but he nods anyway.

It takes a while for Deidara to let go, but he does eventually and meanders his way to the other side of the small clearing. He places his bag beside him and fishes out his clay. It is only then that Obito notices he hasn't put his forehead protector on.

Obito stands and heads over to him, kneeling down to reach into Deidara's bag. Deidara seems to want to stop him but he thinks better of it.

Obito takes his forehead protector out from his bag and reaches around him. He helps him put it on, tying it in a tight knot and then he stands up, heading back to his original spot after telling him to keep it up.

Deidara's gaze feels heavy on him as he rests himself against the tree once more, sighing quietly. He watches as Deidara quickly turns his back on him and works on his clay, or whatever it is that he's doing.

Deidara seems to be busy enough. He leaves the kid to his work and turns his gaze skyward.

Zetsu's head pops up by his side.

"Do you think I'd ever get to meet him?" White Zetsu asks.

"If he joins the Akatsuki, then you'll be introduced to him like every other member," Obito says, quiet.

"Do you think he'll ever join the Akatsuki?"

"I hope not," Obito scoffs.

"He'd be a good addition to the organization."

Obito pauses, eyes wandering as the clouds move ever so slowly above him.

Yes, he would.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

This is beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN (was Kate_Black14).

Sorry that this is on the shorter side of chapters. I split it from Chapter 2 (they were originally supposed to visit both Amegakure and Kirigakure in the last chapter) because it was getting too long. Leaving this bit in would definitely drag the word count to over 10,000 words and I don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment yet.

I split the chapter for another reason: I didn't want to make it seem like the passage of time is a sudden thing with those big flashing title cards of 'ONE YEAR LATER.' It always felt off to me but as I write this, I realize that I'm not actually that good at depicting the passage of time either way.

I tried my darndest to not make Deidara's actions seem like the media's way of depicting teenagers but the longer I think about it, the more I realize it is true. I think about my actions at age thirteen all the time and honestly, it's not that far off. Granted, it has been a few years, so maybe my memories are muddled, but I remember saying everything Deidara said (one way or another) so I hope no teenage audiences are offended by this depiction!

SECOND YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **THIRTEEN (13)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-FOUR (24)**.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net) for more information, updates, and generally similar shenanigans!

Please leave a review to tell me if you liked (or hated) this chapter! Remember to include which parts and why. I cannot stress the importance of reviews enough. It's extremely hard to remain passionate and continue writing if I get lukewarm (and even cold) responses to something I put so much work in. If no one likes this, or even _reads_ this, what's the point of me spending so much time on it? I'll just finish a chapter and leave it for myself to read in my notes because I won't be missing out on any feedback considering that _there are none_.


	4. Interwoven

_Remember to leave a review._

* * *

Obito unwraps the bandages on his hands and replaces them with his newly acquired gloves. He stretches his hands a few times to test their grip and, deeming them a perfect fit, stands.

He heads over to Deidara, who is currently just squatting in the middle of the clearing, eyes trained on the small clay bird he tossed on the ground earlier.

"Well?" Obito asks.

"Hold on, hm," Deidara says.

Obito waits for him. He glances at his makeshift workstation, which is really just all of Deidara's stuff strewn around him. He can see the open sketchbook, which is filled to the brim with sketches ever since he purchased it last year. He peers over his shoulder to admire the drawings – Deidara's drawn birds of all kinds, imaginary or real, as well as other insects and mammals. He spies sketches of a dragon, too.

Obito turns his gaze back to Deidara when he feels a shift in the child. Deidara is molding his chakra, eyes closed in concentration. He kneels down beside him to watch the bird slowly.

It's the same shape as the smaller bird that Deidara made two years ago albeit just a bit rounder. Obito suspects that it has more clay compacted into its body.

Not knowing what to expect, Obito's eyes widen when the clay bird suddenly expands five times its original size. As with all of Deidara's other creations, it seems to have gained a conscious and it flaps its wings, waving away all the smoke that the jutsu caused.

Deidara grins widely when he sees his creation, hurrying over to it. The bird recognizes its creator and bows down, allowing Deidara easy access to its back.

He turns to Obito, boyish grin never leaving his face.

"Can it fly?" Obito asks.

Deidara pats the bird's neck feathers – it's clay, it doesn't have any feathers.

The bird opens its beak as though it is letting out a cry – it's silent – and spreads its mighty wings. In one beat, it takes off into the air and hovers above his head, talons tucked against its body. As cartoonish as it looks, Obito has no doubt that it would be able to latch on to flesh.

Deidara peaks over the side of the bird, both eyebrows raised.

"Very good," Obito nods, straining his neck to look at Deidara in the eyes. "I'm very proud of you."

Deidara's smile can probably blind him. The fool is as bright as the sun above them.

"Alright, alright," Obito says, waving his hand. "It can carry you, but what about something that can carry me? I hardly think it's fair."

Deidara laughs at him. "Maybe if you aren't fat, you'll be able to fit, hm!"

"I am not fat," Obito huffs. He jumps and reaches up, grabbing one of the bird's talons in his right hand. He vaguely registers Deidara's offended "hey!" before he tugs the bird. It quickly loses its balance in the air and crashes on the ground.

The technique quickly dispels and the bird turns lifeless, losing most of its defining features and melting into a glob of clay on the ground.

"You can just ask," Deidara says, stepping off of the bird.

"It's more fun this way," Obito shrugs, gesturing to all of Deidara's stuff on the ground. "Now you and I both have to walk."

"I can make another bird, yeah," Deidara says, kneeling down to pack up his things.

"Is that a threat?" Obito asks.

"No," Deidara mumbles.

"You're not going to be this small forever," Obito says. "You've already grown a bit taller than when I first met you."

Deidara stops packing and hurries over to Obito's side, looking up at him.

"Have I?" he asks, trying to stand on his toes.

Obito reaches out and presses him back down. "Yeah, just a little," he says.

"Just a little?" Deidara asks, clearly offended. He tries to make himself seem taller again but he only succeeds in reaching the base of Obito's throat with the top of his head.

"I'll give it three more years," Obito shrugs. "Maybe then you'll be able to reach my chin."

"Wh–" Deidara huffs, wriggling away from Obito's grasp. He goes back to packing up his things.

"I'm going to meet someone," Obito says, watching Deidara. "Is that alright?"

Deidara doesn't look up from his spot on the ground. "Are you asking me for permission, yeah? That's new."

"Asking you for permission," Obito scoffs. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to come along."

"Come along?" Deidara swings his backpack over his shoulder and watches Obito suspiciously. "Really, yeah?"

"Yes, really," Obito says, gesturing to the general direction to his right and begins to walk. Deidara follows him, straying closer and closer until he can feel his shoulder brush against his arm.

"Are you finally admitting that I'm old enough to know what you're doing, yeah?" Deidara asks, nudging Obito.

"Not exactly," Obito shakes his head. "I still don't think you should be involved in these things but… well, you're really great, kid. You're beyond talented and if things were different, I might even welcome you."

At first, Deidara seems to preen at the compliments. Toward the end, Deidara makes a puzzled sound. "What is that supposed to mean, hm?"

Obito falls silent, smiling sadly to himself. If things were different, maybe they'll meet in a completely different situation, in a world where there is no need for war or to fight, in a world where this kid can just be a kid. There's something wrong with this.

"Nothing," he says. He falls quiet for a long time and he can feel Deidara's confusion seeping through him. Something within him curls up.

"I've changed my mind," he says, quiet. Deidara seems to hear something and he nods respectfully. Obito looks down at him and Deidara's eyes pierce through him. He scrunches up his nose, pain filling his chest. Deidara looks so concerned.

"I'll just get a hotel room, hm," Deidara says, lifting a hand to grip Obito's sleeve, holding it as though it is made out of the most expensive silk. "I'll be good and practice until you come back."

"Okay," Obito says, lifting his arm to rub Deidara's head. He lets his hand slide down to his side and wraps his arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to him. "Good."

Deidara stays close.

They near the location that he had promised to meet Danzo in. Worried that the wretched man might see the teen, Obito guides them to a settlement in the opposite direction, a little village that seems to be more concerned with its crops than anything else.

Stopping by the entrance of an inn, Obito kneels down in front of Deidara. Deidara looks down at him.

"Sorry," he says. Obito remembers his own childhood of running around the streets of Konohagakure. He smiles bitterly, knowing that the only reason why he's not home is that of the people from Deidara's village.

It's not the kid's fault, he reminds himself. If he can save someone, then let him be the bigger man and forgive the children of those who had wronged him.

"I don't expect you to understand, but sometimes when I look at you, I think of myself," Obito decides to say, reaching into his cloak and taking out a string of coins. "I've failed myself once. I don't want to do it again."

He takes Deidara's hands and shoves the coins in his palms, ignoring the way his mouths clench tight against what must be the metallic taste. "If I had a choice," he says, "I wouldn't have chosen this path."

Deidara is quiet but he can sense his unrest.

"Go get a room," he says, gesturing to the inn. "I'll be back. I promise."

Deidara's head follows him as he stands and he stares down at those endless blue eyes. Obito finds his throat suddenly tight.

"You will be a great shinobi," Obito says. "People will tremble when they hear your name."

Deidara nods, the corners of his mouth twitching before he turns and runs into the inn. Obito waits until he's sure Deidara won't look back out before he activates Kamui, taking him away to the outskirts of the village. He begins to walk.

Danzo is already there waiting for him, right arm tucked in that bandage of his. Two members of the Root flank his sides. Obito cringes at the sight of that man, knowing whose eye he carries in his skull.

"You're late," Danzo says.

"Does it matter?" Obito says. He senses Zetsu standing guard, hidden.

"No," Danzo muses, opening his eye wider to regard him. "Shall we go?"

"I would prefer to remain here," Obito says, taking one step closer to Danzo. The man's bodyguards ready themselves but they step down when Danzo gestures to them.

"Very well," he says. "Have you brought the eyes?"

"They are with me," Obito says.

"I don't see them."

"I don't trust you."

"Of course, you don't," Danzo chuckles and shakes his head. "You and I know too much about each other for people who are supposed to be strangers."

Obito doesn't respond.

Danzo goes on. "There is no reason for you to trust me to remain quiet," he says, raising a hand dramatically. "And I have no reason to trust you to remain quiet, either, but this is the risk of our activities.

"I can expose you before you're ready, or you can expose me with Itachi to back you up. Since we're already at a stalemate, I'm sure we can just come to a compromise now."

He still doesn't trust the man but Obito doesn't think he has any other options left. Obito activates Kamui and, as promised, three jars of eyes appear in front of him.

Danzo smiles, gesturing to one of his bodyguards and the man steps forward to examine the jars. When he confirms that they're indeed what Danzo had asked for, he takes them and returns to Danzo's side.

Danzo turns to look at the jars, pleased by the eyes, and reaches into his robe. He takes out a scroll.

"Hatake Kakashi's eye will be left alone," he says, tossing the scroll at him. Obito catches it and glances down at its title.

"Yours will not, Uchiha Madara."

Obito cringes at that and takes a step back when a group of Danzo's men leaps out from the trees.

Zetsu comes out from the ground.

"We're in a pickle," White Zetsu says.

Obito doesn't even bother commenting. He lets Zetsu deal with the first wave as he takes the scroll into his pocket dimension before he joins in the battle.

55

Obito tosses the scroll across the room when he walks through the door, sliding it shut behind him.

Deidara lets out a noise of surprise – it's really a squeak but Obito has a feeling that Deidara won't like it if he calls it that – and quickly turns to him. His surprise turns into shock when he notices him.

Obito doesn't care to take notice of what Deidara is doing – he just hears rushing – and sits down at the table, sighing loudly. He reaches up with his left hand and digs his thumb into what remains of his right arm.

That fucker Danzo got him good. It's just a shame that he ran away with the eyes before the fight even began.

Deidara hurries out from wherever he went – probably the toilet, now that he thinks about it – and kneels down beside him. Obito doesn't need to turn his gaze to know that he's staring at him with wide eyes.

"I got into a dispute," Obito says casually.

"Your arm," Deidara says dumbly.

"Ah, yes," Obito looks down at the stump. He'd been too reliant on his ability to become intangible that he forgot to pay attention. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"But your arm," Deidara says.

"Yes, my arm," Obito says, reaching out with his left hand to pat Deidara's head. "I'll be fine. I'm not bleeding."

"Yes, you are, hm," Deidara says and gestures to the floor.

Huh, Obito didn't even notice.

"It's nothing," Obito says.

Deidara puts a bowl of water – where did he get that? – and dabs a towel in it. It's clear what he wants to do.

"I don't need you to…" Obito stops talking when Deidara tugs at his sleeve. Somehow, he knows it'll just be worse if he argues with the teen. He sighs, relents, and reaches to slide his robe off from his torso.

"Um," Deidara mumbles and takes two seconds too long to press the wet towel against his wounds.

Kid warned him against doing weird things years ago and here he is making this entire thing weird.

Obito looks away as Deidara cleans the blood and grime. He takes out more bottles that Obito wasn't aware he had and stares to disinfect his wounds to dress them. The entire time, Obito notes, Deidara does not question exactly how he got these wounds, including his old scars.

As he continues to let Deidara dress his wounds, something comes to his mind.

"I want you to cut my hair," he says.

"What?" Deidara's hands still.

Obito reaches up and grabs Deidara's wrist, pushing it away so it won't be weird. He makes Deidara drop the towel back in the bowl, watching the way his blood dyes the water red and turns to look at Deidara.

"It's a bit inconvenient," Obito says. Even with the unique mask on, it's somehow the hair that gives his identity away. It might have something to do with the fact that Madara was known for his own long mane. It's too much attention for his taste. "I want it to be short again."

"Again?" Deidara echoes but he doesn't say anything else. He moves to stand and then grabs a pair of scissors from the bathroom. Obito uses this time to look at Deidara's little workspace. There are more doodles on his sketchbook. It seems like Deidara really wants to make a bigger bird.

He turns his gaze away when Deidara comes back. He kneels down behind him and places a warm hand on his shoulder. A moment later, the hand is removed and he curses himself for missing its warmth. Obito sits as still as he can when Deidara begins to cut his hair.

"How, uh, how short do you want it, yeah?" comes Deidara's voice. It's a bit more shaky than usual and it has nothing to do with puberty.

"Close to my scalp," Obito says.

"Oh," Deidara says. "That's short. I'm going to miss it, hm."

"Miss it?" Obito asks.

"Yeah," Deidara says, reaching out to run his hand through Obito's hair. He leans down and presses his face against it. "I remember sleeping on it like you're a big cat!"

"That was two years ago," Obito muses. "Time flies."

"Was it?" Deidara sits back up and resumes snipping. "Are you sure you want it all gone? Not even keeping just a little bit more, yeah?"

"Between you and me, there is enough hair to go around," Obito says.

Deidara stops cutting. Obito looks over his shoulder to find Deidara examining his own hair. "I like it long," Deidara says after he notices Obito watching him.

Obito agrees.

"Then why cut it short, yeah?"

"No, I like your hair long."

Deidara blinks at him. Obito turns back to face the front and tells him to keep cutting his hair.

Deidara utters "okay" and continues with his job until he reaches the band of his mask.

"I can't cut through that," Deidara says, poking the band. "Hey, maybe you should just take it off. We've known each other for a long time now, yeah? You can trust me. I won't rat you out."

Obito scoffs.

"That's not why I wear a mask," he says but he reaches up and takes off the mask anyway. He feels Deidara bounce on his knees and begins to crawl over. Obito raises a hand and Deidara stops. "Please don't."

Deidara doesn't answer him immediately, just running his fingers through what remains of his hair. He eventually agrees.

The rest of his hair is gone by half an hour. Obito runs his hand through his newly cut hair when Deidara announces that he's done, sitting back on his heels to admire his handiwork.

"Thanks," Obito says, putting his mask back on – a challenge now that he only has one hand.

Deidara nods, giving him – his mask – a longing look and then stands. He goes back to the toilet and then returns with a fresh bowl of warm water. Obito is quiet when Deidara resumes cleaning him. He did most of the work earlier and he's just wiping at superficial cuts, but Obito lets him because Deidara is using this as an excuse.

He's staring at his arm.

"It'll be fine in a bit," Obito tells him again.

"Are you sure?" Deidara asks.

"Yes," Obito says. "Now bandage that cut. I think I want to show you something."

"Think?" Deidara questions but he hurries, putting a cotton wad on the wound and wrapping it up with bandages. His gentle touch and deliberate movements remind Obito of someone very dear to him – Rin's name slipped his mind for a second. He feels something hot run through his veins and his heart hurts once more.

The world doesn't deserve people like him. Like her.

Deidara cleans up while Obito tests the bandages. They're done a bit sloppily, but considering that Deidara is just fourteen and never had any medical training, it's impressive enough. He just wonders why he knows how to dress wounds so well. His mind supplies him with the answer and Obito feels another wave of hatred toward the world.

Kids should just be left alone to be kids.

When he stands up, Deidara appears in front of him. He is looking up expectantly.

"Did you change your mind?" he asks wearily when Obito doesn't immediately say anything. He can hear the silent "again" at the end of his question.

"No," he says. He reaches out and takes Deidara's hand. Deidara holds his hand tight. "You don't have to close your eyes if you don't want to."

Deidara blinks at him and seems to remember this phrase. "Are we going to do the magic, hm?"

"Magic," Obito chuckles. "Yes, just like when we were going to Amegakure."

Deidara smiles and then it morphs into a thoughtful look. "We haven't been to Amegakure in a while, yeah. Did something happen?"

Deidara's words remind him of Juzo's death a few days prior. Very unfortunate, really. The man was a fine shinobi.

"We might go again soon," he tells him. "Now, pay attention."

Obito makes sure Deidara is paying attention before he activates Kamui. He watches recognition fill Deidara's visible eye at the telltale red glow and then suddenly, they're no longer in the inn.

Deidara looks around, surprised to find himself in the darkness of Obito's pocket dimension, but then they warp out into reality once more.

Birds sing as Deidara blinks his eyes rapidly, trying to adjust it to the sudden stream of sunlight. Obito lets go of Deidara's hand but Deidara holds on. He humors him.

"That's what happens every time I tell you to close your eyes," he says.

Deidara takes a while to come back to his senses. "Oh!" he says when he realizes. "You teleport, hm?"

"Sort of," Obito says. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but you can think of it that way if it's easier for you to understand."

"That's… That's so cool!" Deidara says, letting go of Obito's hand and jumps on the spot. "Is that why you do things quickly, hm? What else can you do with that thing?"

Obito watches him, amused. "Yes, yes," he says, reaching out to steady him. "I travel like this on my own but I thought it would be better if you didn't know that I can… but now that your birds can carry you, I think it's a fair trade."

Deidara lights up and preens, stopping his jumping and then reaches into his pocket – why does he carry that stuff with him at all times is beyond Obito – and he tosses it on the ground.

"Wait, wait," he says as he pushes Obito a bit further away. "While you were away, I did some modifications of the bird, hm!"

Raising a hand to form a seal, Deidara utters a word and the bird expands. It's bigger than the one he saw earlier and while he's unsure whether or not to trust its strength, he wants to trust Deidara on this.

The bird, resembling an owl, takes a step forward and extends its wings, lowering one to press against the grass.

"Get on," Deidara says, giving Obito a boyish and expectant smile.

Obito presses his lips together and follows Deidara's instructions. He steps on the wing of the creature and stands on its back – just to be safe; he channels some chakra at the bottom of his feet to make sure he doesn't fall.

Deidara nods at the sight and commands the bird. It lifts its wing from the ground and shifts into a stance that Obito can't see. It doesn't take it long to start flapping its wings and, lo and behold, it takes to the sky.

Deidara is careful not to guide the bird too high and Obito appreciates it. He kneels down, peering over the owl's head and down on the ground. There's still a considerable amount of distance. He nods to himself, impressed.

"You're doing great," Obito says.

Deidara tilts his head.

"I said, you're doing great!"

"I can't hear you," Deidara shouts back. The owl turns its head to him and then it lowers itself near the ground, letting Deidara climb onto its back. Obito moves to make space for Deidara. "What did you say?"

"I said you're doing great," Obito says, reaching out to place a hand on the top of Deidara's head again.

Deidara grins.

"Uh, thanks," he says. He holds his own hands together and twiddles his thumbs. Obito tilts his head.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing," Deidara says and then he steps forward, wrapping his arms around him again. They haven't hugged in a while, considering that Deidara always preferred to be angry more often than not.

Obito smiles to himself and wraps his remaining arm around Deidara's shoulders, holding him close.

"I'm proud of you," he says.

Deidara squeaks and hugs him tighter.

"You know, I might die of suffocation if you keep doing this," Obito warns.

Deidara loosens his grip but he doesn't let go of him. Obito humors him once more and gives soothing pats on his back.

Obito missed hugging him too.

A thought suddenly presents itself in his mind. "You know what will make me even prouder?" Obito says, grinning like a little boy.

"What?" Deidara asks, pulling away slightly to peer into Obito's mask. He knows there's no way of him seeing through the darkness, but Obito lets him try anyway.

"If you make a dragon," Obito grins. "A big, big dragon!"

"A dragon?" Deidara gasps.

"Yeah, a dragon! A big dragon that can shoot fire out of its mouth."

Deidara blinks at him, a questioning look in his eyes. "Are you sure I can do that, hm?"

"I'm sure you can," Obito says, smiling. "You're a very creative boy. You'll find a way."

Deidara pouts. "Is it even useful in battle?"

"Why not?" Obito tilts his head. "The dragon will have wings and you'll be able to fly very high, which helps you since you're a long-range fighter. You can also — I don't know — make bombs rapidly with the dragon?"

Deidara looks at him, eyebrows furrowing adorably.

"Give it a thought, maybe," Obito says, pinching Deidara's nose between his pointer and middle finger. "You don't actually have to do it."

"No," Deidara says. "I can do it, hm!"

"Yes, you can," Obito smiles, ruffling his hair.

Deidara grins, ducking his head. "And it will make you really proud of me, right, hm?"

"Even more proud of you," Obito corrects him. "I'm already proud."

Deidara grins shyly, turning away to try and hide his expression. Obito finds this infinitely adorable.

"Come on," Obito says, sliding his hand to gently grasp the base of Deidara's neck. "Let's head back inside and grab something to eat, okay? Then we can go to Amegakure."

When Deidara agrees, he notices something else sparkling in Deidara's eyes but he doesn't let himself dwell on it.

He's just really excited about that dragon and Amegakure, right?

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

This is beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN.

Yes, yes, this is of the shorter side again but I heard that readers like shorter chapters. Also, I cut it here for a reason. I don't want to spoil this chapter with what I have planned next. I feel like you - or me - deserve this final moment of peace.

THIRD YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **FOURTEEN (14)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-FIVE (25)**.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net) for more information, updates, and generally similar shenanigans! I am also currently accepting prompts if you want to have some T/ObiDei written!

Please leave a review to tell me if you liked (or disliked) this chapter! Remember to include which parts and why. I cannot stress the importance of reviews enough. It's extremely hard to remain passionate and continue writing if I get lukewarm (and even cold) responses to something I put so much work in. Please speak up and let me know that there's _someone_ there.


	5. Intermediate

Remember to leave a review.

* * *

"What do you do in Amegakure, exactly, yeah?"

Deidara's voice sounds muffled against the wind, but Obito can still make it out. He muses for a moment, thinking about how to answer the kid, and ultimately decides that he should be honest.

"I talk to the people that work for me," he says.

"Who works for you, hm?"

"A lot of people work for me," Obito says. "Some people work for me willingly, some don't."

"Whoa, are you a gang leader?"

Obito grins at the childish thought. "Sure, let's go with that."

"That's so cool!"

Anything's cool in Deidara's book when it comes to Obito, isn't it?

Obito reaches into his robe, mindful of his stub arm, and takes out a scroll. Zetsu had delivered it to him before they took off — as well as the news that his new arm is waiting for him whenever he's ready — and he hadn't had the time to read it until now. It's a bit challenging with the wind and only one hand, but Obito manages to open the scroll and read its contents.

He furrows his eyebrows.

"Change of plans," he calls against the wind.

"What?" Deidara looks back. The bird lets out a call and tumbles in the air a bit before Deidara regains control.

"Heavens," Obito mutters and then sits back up, looking at Deidara. Deidara gives a sheepish smile. He shakes his head and decides to continue. "We're going to Kirigakure."

"Kiri?"

"Yes," Obito says. "Why do you keep repeating my words? Anyway, something came up. We can go to Amegakure after this."

"What came up?"

"Something important."

Kisame will have some explaining to do.

He can tell that Deidara is not satisfied with his vague answers but with one meaningful tilt of his head, Deidara keeps his lips shut.

On the way over to Kirigakure, Obito scoots closer to Deidara and taps his shoulder. He keeps close to ensure that his voice can be heard over the roaring wind.

"Don't fly too close," Obito says.

"Yeah, I remember," Deidara says. "We're outlaws, yeah?"

"Yes," Obito nods. He reaches out and ruffles his hair again. "Good boy."

Deidara scoffs but he can see the upturn of his lips. "Stop it; I'm not a dog, hm."

Obito snorts because he begs to differ. He keeps it to himself, though, knowing that Deidara would definitely throw another temper tantrum that will drive him insane.

They land just at the outskirts of the Land of Water. There are guards patrolling every inch of the forest but ever since Kisame had helpfully provided him with the guards' schedules, he never had to worry about encountering them again.

"Be careful," he says to Deidara anyway. He had been asleep the last time they were here.

"Yeah, yeah," Deidara whispers back. He stays close. Good.

Obito leads the way into the village without being detected. The village feels quieter than he remembers and it becomes clear to him why.

Almost everyone – important, that is – is gathered around the main building of the village and Obito doesn't even need to see to know that Ao is in the center of it all.

"This is too ridiculous," he hears someone in the group say. "Controlled?"

"Yeah," someone else agrees. "Let's get out of here."

The two of them break free from the group and two others join them. Obito can see that there are others that are struggling with what to believe.

"I swear," he hears Ao say but he doesn't bother trying to listen to anything else. He stands by the wall of the building.

"What's that all about, yeah?" Deidara asks, tugging at his sleeve.

Obito twists and takes hold of Deidara's hand, pulling him deeper into the shadows. "Ao," he says, nodding toward the blue-haired man. "He took one of the three most powerful dojutsus – the Byakugan."

"Is he the bad guy, hm?"

"To us," Obito nods.

"Let's fight him!" Deidara says. "Take back his eye, yeah."

Obito looks down at him, blinking owlishly. "Perhaps not when half of the village's elite are surrounding him."

"Really?" Deidara says. "I think that if we take down these people too, we'd be able to take control of the village, yeah."

"That's not how it works, Deidara," Obito says. "I am already in control of this village."

"Whoa, how?"

"By controlling the person who is in charge," Obito says, "you automatically control the entire village."

"Oh," Deidara says. "That makes sense. Are we here to make them do things now, hm?"

"No, we're here to abandon our control over the village."

"What? Why?"

"Pay attention," Obito says, smacking Deidara's head – he ignores Deidara's complaint. "They're planning a mutiny. Ao's figured it out."

If Ao hasn't been chosen to be the Mizukage's bodyguard then his plan would continue without a hitch. He just hopes that Yagura will be too weak to control the Three-Tails when he pulls out.

"What are they going to do?" Deidara asks, awed.

"He's going to reveal to the village that Yagura is being controlled," Obito says. "He can see it with his eye."

"Then take his eye."

"It's not that easily done, Deidara," Obito says. "If I could, I would. A Byakugan can be immensely helpful, but I'm not going to risk it."

"I'll take it," Deidara says and he gets ready to walk.

Obito holds him back, squeezing his tiny hand in his gloved one.

"Easier said than done," Obito says. He kneels down and points to Ao's eye – who is still talking rather animatedly. "Look carefully. See the little tags on his ears?"

"Yeah?"

"They're seals," Obito says. "If someone tries to take the eye, they'll protect it – even if you make him take it out on his own. Only he consciously knows the way to undo the seal."

Deidara nods, weary.

"Don't worry," Obito says. "We don't need this – any of this."

He grips Deidara's hand tighter when more shinobi of Kirigakure abandon Ao in fear of the Fourth Mizukage's wrath. He watches smugly and then he activates Kamui. They appear inside of Yagura's office.

"Stay in the shadows," Obito says. "I'll make sure no one notices us."

A simple and subtle genjutsu, easy to break but extremely effective if no one is looking out for it.

"Lord Mizukage," Ao's voice filters into the room through the door and Obito clicks his tongue. That man is annoying.

"What?" Yagura replies, ceasing his writing and setting down his pen.

All three of them hold their breaths when Ao invites himself in. His smile is sickeningly sweet and Obito would very much rather Yagura rip his head off of his neck, but he contains himself.

"I would like to discuss with you the treatment of Biwa Juzo's body," Ao says.

"Dispose of it," Yagura hisses. "This village does not need to waste its space for traitors, skilled shinobi or no."

"Ah," Ao nods. "What about Hoshigaki Kisame?"

"Did you not send scouts to chase him down," Yagura says rather than asks.

"You didn't give the order," Ao says.

"Is it not implied?" Yagura says, standing. "He took with him Samehada. Do we not care about our swords now?"

"No, sir," Ao says. "I apologize. We were busy with Kubikiribocho."

Yagura scoffs. Obito is careful to ensure that there is a distance between the two. "I don't need to worry about you betraying the village as well, do I?"

"Of course not, sir," Ao says. From this angle, it's hard for Obito to tell what he's doing with his eye.

"Then what, may I ask, are you doing here talking to me, rather than going out to hunt Kisame down?"

Ao winces but Obito can tell that he's not buying it.

"I was wondering, sir, if I may," Ao says, "if your actions really hold the village's best interests at heart."

Yagura narrows his eyes and the wrath of the Three-Tails fills the air.

"You question me?"

"Yes, sir."

Before he can even command Yagura to reach for his weapon – which is lying on the floor, damn him – Ao is already in front of him. His Byakugan is activated and, no doubt, he can see that the Fourth Mizukage's chakra signature is messed up.

With his suspicions confirmed, Ao wastes no time in undoing Obito's genjutsu.

"Whoops," Obito whispers under his breath and squeezes Deidara's hand. When the illusion fades, so does Yagura's life.

The Three-Tails is dead.

He activates Kamui and the two of them reappear in the mist-filled forest.

"What just happened, yeah?" Deidara asks, in awe.

"He undid my technique," Obito says, patting Deidara's shoulder and the kid takes the hint. He starts to dig into his pouches to grab at his clay. "But at the cost of the Fourth Mizukage's life."

Deidara's movements stutter a little. He reaches out and pats him on the back. Obito doesn't wish it but something tells him that Deidara might have to face a Kage on his own one day – he just wishes he'll be well prepared and emerge the victor.

He tosses a bird down on the ground and it expands, immediately lowering its body so that they can perch on its back. They're back up in the sky in a matter of seconds.

"How come undoing your jutsu killed the Fourth Mizukage, yeah?"

"He's been in it too long, I suppose," Obito says. "Everything must be too much for him."

"But he seemed normal."

"Because I didn't really change much – I only intensified his desire to keep the village free from traitors."

"And that's all it takes for the entire village to be known as the Bloody Mist?"

"If people are that afraid," Obito shrugs, as though he has no part of it all.

"Scary," Deidara says.

"Are you afraid?"

"No," Deidara says. "You were sad when you left this village the last time, hm."

Obito bites his tongue.

"So I think it's good that he died," Deidara continues.

It's not his fault.

"Have you ever heard of Jinchuurikis?"

"Um," Deidara furrows his eyebrows, making that adorable face he makes when he thinks about something really hard – particularly when he is debating what he should do with his art. "I think our village had one, but some hired ninjas took him somewhere."

Whoops.

"The Fourth Mizukage is one," Obito says quickly. "He's one of only a handful of Jinchuuriki who has complete control over their tailed-beasts, making him a perfect Jinchuuriki."

"They're scary, right? They destroy villages and stuff, hm. Wonder why villages would want something so powerful if all they preach is peace and tranquility, yeah?"

"Even talking about their power can bring people to their knees," Obito says. "They're used as bargaining chips more than anything else. When your art makes it big, you would want the same effect on people, don't you? You want people to cower at the mere mention of your creations."

"That sounds nice," Deidara grins boyishly. "But I want them to see it, too."

"And they will," Obito agrees.

"So what now?" Deidara asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't the Fourth Mizukage dead now? Does that mean the tailed-beast is also dead?"

"For now," Obito says. "It will be revived soon."

Just like when Rin died.

For some reason, it doesn't sour his mood as much as it used to. Obito doesn't know if he should be thankful or not. He reaches out and soothes his gloved hand through Deidara's long hair – maybe he shouldn't have cut his own.

Deidara glances at him over his own shoulder, blue eyes blinking slowly.

"Is this part of your job, yeah?"

"Part of it," he confirms. He thinks he wasn't meant to figure out the truth about Rin's death.

"Cool," Deidara flashes him another childish grin.

Obito thinks he will miss this a lot when it comes time for Deidara to journey on his own.

\- 55

Obito rubs at his newly replaced arm, massaging into his elbow.

"Biwa Juzo is dead," Nagato says.

"I am aware," Obito replies. "Do you have replacement suggestions?"

"Hoshikagi Kisame is on the run," Nagato says.

Obito nods, pretending to be none the wiser. "Keep an eye on him and when he is available, hire him and pair him with Itachi."

Nagato nods. Obito goes to leave but Nagato stops him.

"Orochimaru's expressed interest," he says.

Obito winces. He would very much rather Orochimaru be rouge on his own, but his personal bias cannot interfere with his business. And, well, there's no reason to refuse such a powerful ninja, considering the size of their organization.

"Fine," Obito says. It's not his fault if something happens.

He nods at Konan – who nods back – and leaves the tower.

Deidara is sitting where he left him, kicking his legs.

"Hey," Obito says.

"H—" Deidara cuts himself off, noticing that his arm is back. He reaches out and touches it.

"I told you it'll be fine," Obito says.

Deidara is quiet. He can see the worry etched into his eyebrows from this angle. Feeling a bit awkward, Obito tries to think of a new topic to distract Deidara — an extremely easy task to do.

It takes him a while to realize that Deidara is holding something familiar in his hands.

"You still have it," Obito comments, surprised.

"Yeah," Deidara says, letting go of his arm and looking up at him. He twirls the paper lantern in his hand.

"I thought you lost it," Obito says.

"I didn't," Deidara says, offended. He twists his hand and points to the pig's side. "I broke it, though, hm."

"Do you want to get a new one?" Obito asks.

"Hm," Deidara hums, looking down at the pig and its dark, empty eyes. "No," he says after a while.

"Are you sure? I can get a new one for you if you want."

"No," Deidara shakes his head.

"Okay," Obito nods. "Ready to go, or do you want to explore the city?"

Deidara looks up from the pig, looks at him, and then looks up at the sky. "It's not raining," he says with surprise, as though he is just now realizing this. "Does this ever happen, yeah? In Amegakure?"

"Have you ever heard of the story," Obito says, "of the God of Amegakure?"

Deidara frowns at him. "It's a silly myth," he says.

"Everyone in the city has a paper angel to protect them," Obito says.

"It's a silly myth that every in the city believes in, yeah?"

Obito chuckles and pats Deidara's head. Deidara shifts on the bench and wraps his arms around Obito's torso.

"It's not so much a myth," Obito says. "This land used to be ransacked by war and one of the war orphans grew tired of it. He eventually grew to be immensely powerful and became something akin to a god."

"Are you saying he's so powerful, he controls the weather, hm?"

"What would you say if I am?"

"Uh, say that you're crazy! There's no way."

"There are a lot of powerful people out there, Deidara," Obito says. "If you really want to make a name for yourself, you have to become even more powerful than them."

Deidara buries his face in his stomach.

"Recognize your enemies' strength and surpass them by turning their talents against them," Obito says. "That's how I survived."

"But I want to use my art, too, hm!"

"You can," Obito says, petting Deidara's hair. "You can use your art to surpass them too."

Deidara giggles into his robe. "I will!"

"Okay," Obito says, giving Deidara two more pats. "Let go now. Do you want to tour or do you want to go?"

"Go!" Deidara says, pulling away and looking up at Obito.

Gazing fondly down at Deidara, Obito reaches out to cup his cheek. It's lost all of its baby fat but Deidara is as adorable as ever. He activates Kamui – the flash of admiration in Deidara's eyes is not lost on Obito – and they appear in some sort of forest.

The forest that houses Obito's own hideout.

"Let me show you some—"

"Wait, wait!" Deidara says, shrugging off his backpack and folding the lantern back to its flattened shape. He puts it inside his bag before he reaches into his pouches once more. "I want your opinion on something first, yeah."

He quickly molds the clay and holds out a tiny dragon. It comes to life – expanded just a little – and chirps happily at Obito.

"Should it have wings or not, yeah?"

Obito looks at the dragon. It looks like a traditional one, those that resemble serpents rather than scary, winged beasts. Obito likes these types of dragons – benevolent in nature – but he earnestly brainstorms for Deidara.

"Well," he says, "if you want it to spit fire, I think it should be winged. Besides, how will it fly without wings?"

"I have my ways," Deidara says, sticking out his tongue.

Obito doubts that he actually does know how to make something fly without wings if he doesn't attach it to something else. Kites, perhaps, have a better chance at gliding on the currents of air, but he doubts that Deidara would try and make a bomb that resembles a kite.

"So, wings, hm," Deidara says and then shoves his hands into his pouches again. The dragon flies over to Obito and clings to his mask. He reaches up and tugs at the clay creature, which resists with a surprising amount of strength before he peels it off of him. He holds it – ignoring its struggling – and watches Deidara as he holds out another blob of clay.

In his hand is a similar dragon – but this time it sports wings. Its face resembles a certain paper lantern. Coming to life, the dragon tilts its head at Obito and then turns back to face its creator.

"Hm," Obito says, leaning closer to peer at the dragon's design. "Well, it's going to have to be big if you want it to carry you."

"Well, duh," Deidara says. "But this is just a draft, hm. I'm going to make it super big so it can carry a lot of bombs in its body! Then it's going to spit it out, hm! Like it's spitting fire!"

Obito glances up at Deidara, watching his expression as he talks animatedly about his visions and plans for the creature. From a vague suggestion to a vivid idea, to an actual creature that is solid and real and right in their hands.

Deidara really is something different. If he wants to, Obito thinks, he can do anything he wants and the world will be his oyster.

He looks down at the dragon in his own hand when it chirps at him.

"Oh," Deidara says, reaching out to take the dragon back from Obito. Obito doesn't want to give it back. Deidara looks at him. "Do you want to keep it, yeah?"

"Hm," Obito hums, glancing down at the lively dragon and its silly smile. Why is it smiling? Do all of Deidara's creatures do that?

"You can have it if you want to," Deidara says.

"Will it break?" Obito asks.

"That's the point of its creation, hm."

Obito gives Deidara a look.

"Anyway, it won't explode as long as I have a say in it," Deidara says quickly. He reaches out and touches the dragon's tiny head. It stops moving. "There," Deidara says. "Now it won't explode. I took all my chakra out of it, hm."

"But it might lose its form," Obito says.

"That's the— I mean, uh," Deidara taps his chin. "Maybe you can heat it up, yeah. Like what potters do."

Obito looks at Deidara, grinning. "Sure," he says. "I'll keep it forever."

Deidara returns the same boyish grin, a hint of rose dusting his cheeks. "Forever is a bit too long, hm," he says, "but, uh, thanks. I'll… I'll make you proud and make the dragon really cool, yeah?"

Obito smiles at him, reaching out to stroke at his hair. "You go do that, Deidara," he says, "but don't you think for a second that I'm not proud of you now."

With that, Deidara plunges himself into his embrace and buries his face into his robe, uncaring that his repeated shaking of his head would undo his robe.

All the while, Obito continues to pat at Deidara's head. Even though one good deed would not amend for all the bad things that he has done, it eases his consciousness even if it's just by a little.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

This is beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN.

Okay, so I lied about the final amount of chapters but I already warned you all about it.

I also lied about how the last chapter is supposed to be the 'calm before the storm' because, well, this chapter is the calm before the storm.

I already have Chapter 6 written because I split the original Chapter 5 once I was done with it. It just felt too long. I'm not actually sure about the impact of Chapter 6 because I suck at writing impactful scenes so I hope I'm not riling you all up to just underwhelm you in the end. Just don't have your hopes up too high at this point.

I'm probably going to add more scenes in Chapter 6 to pad it.

THIRD YEAR GOING TO THE FOURTH YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **FOURTEEN TO FIFTEEN (14-15)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-FIVE TO TWENTY-SIX (25-26)**.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net) for more information, updates, and generally similar shenanigans! I am also currently accepting prompts if you want to have some T/ObiDei written!

Please leave a review to tell me if you liked (or disliked) this chapter! Remember to include which parts and why. I cannot stress the importance of reviews enough.


	6. Interference

_Please remember to leave a review._

* * *

Ever since he had toured Obito's hideout – Obito kept the main lab hidden – Deidara had been eager about spending all his time there. Something about it being hidden and spacious, even though they don't have clay mines nearby.

Despite having to buy pouches of clay beyond going out to collect them on his own, Obito is glad for the constant company Deidara brings.

He watches as Deidara tosses a dragon sculpture into the barren ground for what must be the hundredth time. He isn't optimistic but Obito can't help but have hopes that maybe, just maybe, this would be the one.

Deidara insisted on making a huge dragon, one that would bring fear to a person due to its sheer size. Obito had made it clear that he didn't want Deidara to stress himself over its size but the kid hadn't listened.

So now Obito's most frequent activity is nursing Deidara back to health after the teen overworks himself.

But, with all the training and experimenting, Deidara did develop a sort of stamina and a larger gauge of chakra. He supposes it's a good thing.

The dragon's size, the one Deidara is aiming, is so large that he has to use two hands to craft its base. In its raw form, the dragon resembles an egg, a little thing curled up within itself in a fetal position, wings, and tail wrapped around its already massive body.

As he's seen a billion times before, Deidara activates the jutsu while he utters underneath his breath "this time, this time it will work" — he's no longer shaking as he used to — and the dragon expands immediately in a large puff of smoke.

When the white smoke dissipates, in its wake is a colossal dragon. It stands on four legs and struggles to even find footing without breaking the rib cage that serves at the entrance to Obito's hideout. It waves its head a little and then lowers it to peer at its – in comparison – tiny creator and his friend.

Its head, like many of its previous drafts, resemble the silly little paper lantern pig he had bought Deidara years ago. Obito finds it endearing but at the same time, rather heartbreaking.

Obito waits for a while – it usually takes quite a bit of time before the flaws of its previous incarnations to show – but nothing happens. The massive white dragon just stands there, tail moving and waving, mouth gaping.

"Is it working?" Deidara asks, sounding extremely exhausted.

Obito heads over to him, reaching out to wrap his arms around his shoulders. The dragon merely observes.

"It is," Obito says, heart swelling with so much pride that he fears it might come back to life.

Deidara can only manage a tiny gasp before he's running away from Obito's grasp, heading straight toward the dragon. He climbs onto its snout – and it's extremely humorous to watch a tiny boy trying to climb something so massive, even with its aid – and stands proudly, gazing down at the entrance of his hideout.

"I am the king of the world, yeah!" Deidara screams into the air. Some birds startle at his voice and fly away in a flock.

Obito scoffs at Deidara's childish display, equal parts annoyed and amused.

"Come on down from there," Obito calls out.

"I'm not going to fall!" Deidara shouts back.

"I'm not worried about that, you nincompoop," Obito says but doesn't elaborate on that further. He thinks Deidara should be rewarded generously this time.

"I think this is my new favorite technique," Deidara says when he slides back down onto the ground, hurrying over to Obito. The dragon lets out a very, very loud call and then disappears, reverted back to its original form. "I'm going to test its range later, hm."

"Yes," Obito says, reaching out to guide Deidara back inside the hideout. He glances around the crater. "Clean up the place before you do, please."

Deidara looks around. "Oh," he says. "Yeah, I will."

His training has made Deidara more mature, it seems. Even with the occasional childish display, Obito can tell that Deidara is on his way to becoming a man. He doesn't know if he should be happy or sad.

Something about Deidara being here brings out the child in him.

"Let's go," he says, heading on inside. He guides Deidara into his room – really, just an old room that he repurposed to be Deidara's room and the kid had taken up the duty of decorating the place – and sits him down on the futon.

Deidara, as stubborn as ever, struggles a bit from being manhandled but settles down once Obito takes out the soothing balms. He holds out his hands as usual.

Obito refrains from telling Deidara off. He's not the kid's father. He doesn't need to tell the kid to watch out for himself and know his limits.

"It's my birthday soon, hm," Deidara suddenly says.

Obito doesn't look up, focusing on rubbing the soothing oils into the sides of Deidara's mouth-hands. "That's nice," he says. "How old will you be turning again?"

"Sixteen," Deidara says.

Obito nods, letting go of Deidara's hand when he's done. He screws the cap back on the jar and sits down on his heels, watching Deidara.

He seems bashful suddenly.

"I, uh, I just wanted to say—"

Obito reaches out and cups Deidara's cheek in his left hand, soothing his thumb over his skin – soft, even through the fabric of his glove – and slides down to grasp gently at the start of his shoulders and the ending of his neck.

"I think it's time for you to have some answers," Obito says and before Deidara can say anything, he reaches out and takes off his mask.

He hears Deidara's sharp intake of breath and then he opens his eyes to watch the kid's reaction.

Deidara holds out his hand and touches the deep grooves of his scars, bottom lip tucked under his teeth as his eyes rake across the newly exposed skin.

Something sparkles in his eyes and then Deidara is suddenly lurching himself forward. Obito barely has time to react. He turns his head just in time and all he can feel is the wet smear of Deidara's lips against his cheek.

A chord snaps inside Obito's mind.

Something is deeply wrong.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Obito says, pushing Deidara away.

Deidara leans back, surprise and shock plastered all over his face. Obito feels a warmth spread through his body – shame. He feels as though he shouldn't even be in this room anymore.

"What?"

Obito hears himself say. He reaches up to wipe at his cheek. He realizes his breathing is short His heart is beating insanely fast.

" _What?_ " Obito repeats when Deidara doesn't say anything. He sees Deidara wince and then he realizes that he just shouted.

Obito scrambles to stand on his feet.

"Sorry—" Deidara is saying but Obito can't hear anything. He only hears the rush of blood in his ears.

"What?" Obito shouts again. He struggles to even form words, anything and everything dies in his throat.

Deidara just… He just…

He definitely just tried to kiss him.

God, that's…

His skin feels weird. It's like he's suddenly two sizes too big for his body or three sizes too small. He wants to leave. He needs to leave.

"I just," Deidara says and – damn it – he can hear the stuttering of his voice, the shaking and the guilt come crawling back to him once more. He remembers the sweet little twelve-year-old that he picked up off the side of the forest. He remembers when that said sweet little twelve-year-old sounded similarly distressed when he threatened to leave him alone.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck.

This is wrong.

He shouldn't be here.

He knew he should have just left that kid where he found him.

"I just wanted to say that I, that," Deidara is still speaking – why is he still talking?

Obito feels sick.

"What did you do?" Obito says. His head hurts.

"I just wanted to say that I love you!"

What?

What?

 _What?_

This is so out of the blue. This is so sudden. This is too much.

Deidara is a fucking kid.

He is a child.

"I'm turning sixteen," Deidara's voice sounds. "I'm—I know what I'm saying, hm."

"You don't know what love is," Obito spits.

Deidara winces and then he holds his head in his hands.

"I'm not her, you know," Deidara says.

"What," Obito shouts.

"I'm not—Look, I know you're going to say I'm too young to know but," Deidara says quickly. He's not making any sense. Obito wants to leave.

"Stop," Obito says.

"No—It's, please listen to me—"

"Stop. You don't know anything."

"Obito—"

"You don't _love_ me. You _can't_ love me."

"I—"

"You are a kid. You're a kid."

"I—"

"A kid!" Obito shouts.

"I'm sixteen," Deidara says.

"Not now, you're not," Obito says and then he turns.

"Wait, please," Deidara says but Obito is holding the doorknob already.

He hears the damn sniffling again and Obito reminds himself that Deidara just tried to kiss him, and he's a kid, and _he just confessed that he loved him_?

What?

 _What?_

It's nothing against homosexuals. It's – he's a kid.

All the times he notices something in Deidara's eyes – in his expression… He feels even sicker.

He wants to pray to all the gods that ever existed and will exist – what did he do wrong?

"Please," Deidara's voice breaks through his voice.

Obito opens the door and leaves the room.

\- 55

The dragon's tail retracts and its mouth fills with white clay. The result is as explosive as ever, but Obito cannot find it in himself to admire the chaos.

His mind is still hinged on the past week.

Deidara's bag lies in tatters after a failed experiment with the dragon and so are most of his clothes – he isn't sure if all of this is done on purpose but Obito feels slightly glad.

Why?

He digs his nails into his arm and when Deidara is finally too exhausted to keep the dragon going, he makes up his mind.

Obito steps forward and catches Deidara before he hits the ground; the dragon shrinks in a puff of smoke and lands with a muted thud on the grass. He puts Deidara down on the ground and lays him by a tree, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

Obito lets go of Deidara quickly. He brushes away the dust and gunpowder on Deidara's robe – the blue-green one, the one he first wore – and then stands back.

"I'm okay," Deidara says and Obito doesn't want to hear his voice anymore. It's deepened over the years but it's still the voice of a child to him.

Obito digs into his own robe and takes out the jar with the healing balm – it's nearly empty. He places it beside him on the grass.

Deidara struggles to sit up, glancing down at the jar and then looking back up at him – at his mask. There's that look on his face again. Obito wants to never have to look at it ever again.

And he can.

Deidara glances around them – they're in a different forest than the one that houses his hideout. Obito wants Deidara to stay as far away as possible, to get lost just like he should have been four years ago.

That's why he chose the forest he met him in.

Deidara doesn't seem like he gets the significance.

"I can keep going, hm," Deidara says. Obito can tell that he knows something is up.

"Don't," Obito says. He glances at the ruined bag and notices the paper lantern – safe, by some miraculous means – and he has the urge to burn it.

Deidara's shaky breath prevents him from moving any closer to him.

"I," Obito begins but then he stops himself. He licks his lips – dry and chapped – and starts again. "I need to go."

"Where?" Deidara asks and then he's trying to stand.

"Stop," Obito says and Deidara listens. "I need to go."

Deidara is quiet.

"Goodbye," Obito says and then he activates Kamui.

The last thing he sees is Deidara's worried, confused, and hurt face.

\- 55

He stares at the cooked sculpture of Deidara's dragon, forever frozen in a stance, ready to take flight.

He reaches out and takes it in his hand – he remembers when it was freshly made, alive and wriggling – and then he raises it. Obito stares at the wall and envisions it shattering into a million pieces once it hits the wall.

That's what Deidara always preaches, right? A cool moment of something so fleeting, so sudden.

His hand twitches.

Obito lowers his arm and stares down at the sculpture, its white clay darkened into an earthy tan.

Deidara's grinning face flashes in his mind.

He hates it.

Obito squeezes the sculpture but is mindful of his strength. He doesn't want it to crack.

He leaves it on the shelf once more.

\- 55

"We've caught wind of a terrorist," Nagato is saying.

Obito isn't paying attention.

"We want to recruit him into the organization," Nagato continues. "To replace Orochimaru, of course, so I was wondering if you had any opinions."

Konan appears beside him to hand him a file.

Obito doesn't even want to look at it. He knows.

"He's gotten pretty infamous over the years," Nagato says when he notices that he didn't take the file. "He left his village at a very young age and survived by offering his bombing services. He's rumored to have stolen his village's kinjutsu."

Obito nods once and then he turns to leave.

"I'll—I'll partner him with Sasori!" Nagato shouts after him, clearly surprised by his actions.

He doesn't care – he doesn't want to care.

His heart yearns for something that he doesn't want to think about.

Obito cannot afford to think about it.

\- 55

He barely even registers the feeling of the old leather of the sketchbook. It's so worn and well-loved that Obito feels almost guilty that he hadn't let Deidara take it with him on his final trip.

He scans the pages, unsure what to make of all the little ideas that Deidara had jotted down on all of their adventures.

He doesn't want to, either.

Obito reaches out to trace the pencil lines lightly, careful not to smudge them on the page.

They depict a variety of animals that he hadn't had the chance to see.

Obito doesn't know if he misses that or not. His heart is just a lump in his throat that he cannot take care of. He feels empty. His throat feels scratchy.

He swallows thickly and shuts the sketchbook, unable to look at the stylistic drawings any longer. He tosses it across the room and lets it slide underneath whatever.

\- 55

"He almost tore himself to shreds," White Zetsu is saying, excited. "That centipede that you taught him to make, remember that one? It's really big now and he wrapped it around himself like an idiot."

"He seemed very eager to fight Itachi," Black Zetsu says and then he cuts himself off.

Obito knows why.

Uchiha Itachi.

Kid's smart.

"Do you want to welcome him, Tobi?" White Zetsu asks.

Obito stares down at his own hands, remembering when he used to hold Deidara's, taking him to this village and that.

"No," Obito says.

\- 55

"He's thrown a tantrum," Pain tells him.

Obito desperately wants to say that he can calm him. He stops himself from suggesting that he's like that.

"Would Tobi like to step in?"

Obito turns to look at the god in his eyes. He reaches up to touch his mask, fingers raising and falling with each ridge.

Maybe he should.

"No," he says.

\- 55

"I've heard," White Zetsu says, "that Deidara stayed in that forest for at least a week."

Obito doesn't want to hear it.

"He looked everywhere for you," he keeps saying. "He didn't want to leave just in case you came back."

"But he left, eventually," Black Zetsu says.

Of course, he did.

"I think you should go back to him," White Zetsu says. "He misses you."

Deidara is a kid.

"He's turning eighteen soon," White Zetsu says.

Still a kid. He's definitely still a kid.

He hasn't seen him in a while – not even at a distance.

"I don't like that you're sulking here," Black Zetsu says.

"Come on, Tobi," White Zetsu urges. "We can play together again."

Tobi puts on his new mask and wraps the scarf around his neck. He looks at Zetsu and two seconds pass.

Three seconds pass.

He nods.

\- 55

"Shut up about Itachi," Sasori's voice comes a little to the left. The sound of tinkering follows.

"You shut up, hm."

That voice.

He hates it. He hates that he misses it.

"If you don't shut up about Itachi, someone is going to suspect something."

"Shut up."

Tobi takes a step.

"Who's there?" Sasori snaps.

"Hello!" Tobi shouts eagerly and loudly and to the point where Obito is sick with the fakeness. "I am Tobi! I want to join the Akatsuki."

"We're not the people to talk to if you want to join," Sasori says.

"Ah, I know!" Tobi says, walking into the light and he senses Deidara shifting at the sight of him.

"Then why are you here?"

"Mr. Leader wanted me to meet the members before I join! Something about me needing to get involved with the atmosphere," Tobi says, reaching up to tap at his mask, right at the position of his chin.

"Strange," Sasori says. "Give me one good reason not to run you through right now."

"Because that would be a bad idea," Tobi says and Zetsu emerges from the ground.

"Play nice, now," White Zetsu says. "It will be bad if you killed the new recruit."

Sasori seems placated. He resumes tinkering.

"Play nice," White Zetsu repeats and then he sinks into the ground.

Obito hears a sharp intake of breath. He knows. Tobi turns fully and faces the mistake he has made.

Deidara is standing now, fists clenched and staring right into his mask's eyehole.

The air is thick.

He doesn't know what to do.

They stare at each other for a while.

"Get out of here," Sasori says.

And Tobi does.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

This is beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN.

So, if you follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net, by the way), you'll already know. If you don't (what the heck are you doing? Go follow me on Tumblr!) then I'll write it out here: I currently don't have plans on how to start Chapter 7, so I'm going to write some updates for _Longer the Waiting_ and also a few ask box prompts!

Hahaha!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's okay if you didn't, I don't really mind. I don't think I'm great at capturing the essence of nervousness and the pace of a hurried, mortified, and scared person's mind. There's still a lot to learn.

FOURTH YEAR SKIPPING TO THE SEVENTH YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **FIFTEEN TO SIXTEEN (15-16)** and is **EIGHTEEN (18)** toward the end.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-SIX TO TWENTY-SEVEN (26-27)** and is **TWENTY-NINE (29)** toward the end.

Follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net) for more information, updates, and generally similar shenanigans! I am also currently accepting prompts if you want to have some T/ObiDei written!

Please leave a comment.


	7. Interconnected

Obito grasps the box closer to him. With each step, the items inside clatter and send a whiff of rotting flesh toward him.

He cringes at the scent but he powers through it.

When he nears his hideout, he suddenly senses a familiar presence – and it's coming closer at a rapid pace.

He looks down at his box of things and then he looks around him. The forest is bare around the river. There's nowhere he can hide it in.

Tobi tosses the box into the river and then feigns his shock. Deidara lands in front of him as he dances around on the dirt, arms waving above his head.

"Ah!" he screams.

Deidara just looks at him.

"Mr. Deidara!" he says. "Something jumped me! I'm scared!"

Deidara looks at the river. The cardboard box is nowhere to be seen – sunken, no doubt – but the splashes of water are fairly obvious.

"Shut the fuck up," Deidara says. "It was probably just a stone you kicked into the river, you dolt."

"Oh, Mr. Deidara," Tobi whines. "You're so mean to me! Maybe one day we will be partners and I will save your butt and you'll be so sorry for ever being mean!"

Deidara's eye twitches in annoyance. Obito doesn't remember Deidara's fuse being so short and he doesn't know if he likes it or not.

"If you say one more word again, I'll shove my clay up your ass until you're puking it, hm," Deidara says.

He decides that he will force himself to like it.

"That's gross, Mr. Deidara," Tobi says.

Deidara takes a threatening step forward.

"Yikes!" Tobi says, taking three steps back in a dramatic fashion. He holds his hands up in front of his face and then he thinks about it for a second, then he moves his hands down to cup his bottom.

Deidara scoffs, a rush of air out of his nose. "What are you doing here, yeah?" he asks.

"Just taking a walk," Tobi says casually. He is aware of the significance of this area. "Is this your special place too?"

Deidara's visible eye twitches again and then he rolls his shoulders. "No," he says casually. "I was just passing by, hm."

"Oh," Tobi says. He drags the vowel for a long time. "Are you cruising?"

Deidara raises an eyebrow at him. The kid's gotten very 'cool' since the last time they've met, huh? Obito doesn't know if he's okay with that. He should be the 'cool' one.

"Like," Tobi says, humming and tapping his mask. "Don't you make those big animal things that you can ride on? I heard all about you from Mr. Leader. You can fly!"

"Yes," Deidara says and hides his smile. "I can fly."

"That's so cool!" Tobi says, his hands up in the air. He moves around, mimicking the sound of wind blowing through your ears. "I always wanted to fly."

Deidara looks at him, then at the river, then at the forest, and then looks back at him. "Continue wanting, hm," he says and then he leaps away.

Obito stares at the empty spot where Deidara was just occupying and shakes his head. He really shouldn't have taken the kid to Amekagure's docks. He must have picked up all his bad manners there. He thinks if he were to raise a kid on his own, they would not be so rude.

55

"How much for the arm?" Sasori asks.

The vendor mumbles something and then he waves the arm around. "Five thousand yen," he says.

"Too much," Sasori says and then he turns to leave.

"Wait!" the vendor calls out to him.

"Waste of time," Sasori throws back at him and continues on.

Tobi appears behind the duo and shouts, "hi!"

Sasori doesn't express any emotion – as he does – and Deidara jolts a little.

"What the fuck, Tobi, yeah?" Deidara says, turning and glaring at him.

"Mr. Leader wanted me to observe your mission today," Tobi sing-songs.

"We are here too!" White Zetsu says happily. Tobi pretends to look around for him.

"Wow! Where is Mr. Zetsu? I can't see him but I can hear him!"

"He's up there, you idiot," Deidara says, pointing at the tree. White Zetsu raises a hand and does a little wave at Tobi. Tobi waves back.

"We don't need supervision," Sasori rumbles ahead of them.

"This isn't supervision," Black Zetsu says.

"What are you guys doing?" Tobi butts in before Black Zetsu can say anything else. "Are you shopping? Did you lose an arm, Mr. Sasori?"

"No," Sasori says. His puppet's head clicks as he turns around to glare at him. "And no."

"Then why are you buying an arm?" Tobi says, putting his hand on his chin again. "If you're such a good puppet maker, shouldn't you be able to make an arm out of nothing at all? Why bargain? Did you lose an arm?"

"I said no," Sasori says, voice rising.

"Shut the fuck up, Tobi," Deidara says.

"Don't be mean to Tobi!" White Zetsu says. "Tobi is a good boy. He just wants to learn more about you guys."

"Take him away before I do," Sasori says to Zetsu.

"I will not do such a thing!" White Zetsu says.

"I am not allowed to," Black Zetsu says.

"Stupid leader, hm," Deidara says, shaking his head. "Am I right, Master Sasori?"

"Shut up, brat," Sasori says. Deidara sneers at him. Obito glares at him.

"Haha," Tobi laughs. "Mr. Deidara is getting in trouble?"

"No," Deidara says. "Shut up, Tobi."

"Why is everyone telling everyone to shut up?" Tobi asks, tilting his head. "It's very confusing for me. So are you buying an arm because you lost one, Mr. Sasori?"

"I said," Sasori says, stopping in his tracks and his metal tail extends to point right at Tobi's neck, "no."

"Yeesh," Tobi says, taking a step back. "I was just asking."

"And I had answered," Sasori says, retracting his tail. "If you want to leave this place with knowledge and your life, then you will cease blabbering."

"Then you will cease blabbering," Tobi mocks Sasori.

"Do you wish to die?" Sasori says.

Zetsu pokes his head out between the two of them. "Now, now," White Zetsu says. "He's new. Please play nice."

"Tell your intern to be quiet or he will not join us for this trip," Sasori says.

"I'm sure Mr. Itachi would be very glad of my presence," Tobi scoffs. "We go way back."

Deidara twitches.

"Tobi…" White Zetsu says.

"Mr. Zetsu," Tobi says as if Zetsu has not spoken at all. "I think that Mr. Sasori doesn't want me here. Maybe we should go and leave them to their arm-shopping."

Sasori grumbles under his breath and continues forward. Deidara stands there for a few seconds, looking at Tobi before he turns to catch up with Sasori.

"Why'd you say that?" White Zetsu asks as the two of them fade out of earshot.

Obito doesn't say anything.

"He wants to see if Deidara really changed," Black Zetsu scoffs. "As if someone can replace that monster of a kid with someone so 'cool' in a matter of two years."

Heavens, it's been two years, huh?

Obito continues to look until he can no longer make out the little dot of gold in the distance. He crosses his arms, shakes his head, and turns to go.

"Hey, wait up!" White Zetsu says and they both disappear.

55

"Lunch?" Tobi asks.

"With you, yeah?" Deidara scowls.

"No, with Mr. Itachi," Tobi says.

Deidara looks at him weirdly.

"No," Tobi says. "It's with me."

Deidara scoffs.

"What, are you disappointed, Mr. Deidara?"

"No," Deidara says. There's a look in his eye that doesn't sit well with Obito. "What are you planning for lunch, hm?"

"Uh," Tobi stutters. "Onigiri."

"Basic," Deidara says. "Fine."

"Basic?" Tobi asks.

"Yeah, basic," Deidara says. He stands up. "Are we going?"

"Oh, I already brought it," Tobi says. He pretends to reach into his cloak and takes out a leaf roll. He places it on the ground, unties the twine, and unrolls it to reveal the four fresh-made onigiri rolls. It's still steaming.

Deidara sits back down, crossing his legs, and looks at him funny.

"Yes, Mr. Deidara?" Tobi says as he reaches for one of the rice rolls.

Deidara's eyes follow his every movement. Tobi doesn't eat. Deidara sighs.

"How are you going to eat without taking off that stupid mask, hm?" Deidara asks.

"With a special move that I have!" Tobi says. "It's why Mr. Leader is considering me."

Deidara scoffs and reaches for one of the rolls. "What are these filled with, yeah?" Deidara asks as he looks.

Obito eats the roll before Deidara could even pick one up. "Two is made with eel," he says. "The other two is made with crab meat and roe."

"Hm, I like—" Deidara cuts himself off when he notices that the rice roll is gone from Tobi's hands. He gives him a suspicious glance and then proceeds to move on as if he has seen nothing. "I like crab meat and roe."

"This one isn't crab meat and roe," Tobi gently advises. He gestures to the first one. Deidara follows his hand and picks the right one, replacing the eel-stuffed roll back on the leaf. Tobi takes that one.

They're quiet as Deidara eats. They don't take their eyes off of each other. Obito knows that he shouldn't be here at all if he wants to keep Deidara safe – or whatever it is that made him leave the kid behind. The roll in his hand grows cold.

Deidara isn't stupid, Obito knows. He just wants to be here. He doesn't know why but he does. He lets himself indulge in this because he's still in control. He wants to taste the last of this freedom before it's too late.

Deidara finishes his onigiri and reaches for the other one. His eyes are focused on the leaf. Obito moves to eat the one he's holding. It's bland to him because he doesn't need food. He eats it all anyway.

He gets the same reaction when Deidara sits back up. He is being judged over the edge of the rice roll and he finds that he doesn't care. Obito reaches into his cloak once more and takes out two bottles of water.

"Here," Tobi says and offers Deidara a bottle of water.

Deidara accepts it without question.

"Tell me about yourself, intern," Deidara says around a mouthful of food. Obito frowns. He thought he taught that kid better.

"I'm not an intern, Mr. Deidara," Tobi says.

"Yeah, whatever, hm," Deidara says. "Why do you want to join the Akatsuki?"

"Mr. Leader is nice to me," Tobi says.

"That's it?" Deidara asks.

"Being nice to someone really makes a difference, even if it's just one moment for you, it could be a day — or their entire life — for them," Tobi says. He looks down at his bottle of water. The tap is dented. He looks back up at Deidara.

Deidara is nodding and staring at his own bottle of water. He's finished his food.

"Yeah," he mumbles. "I get it."

"What?" Tobi prompts.

"I said I get it, hm," Deidara says. He kicks at the dirt beneath him. Obito knows that he doesn't want to keep talking about it. Tobi pretends to be none the wiser.

"Why do you get it?"

Deidara looks at him as if he just pulled out a kunai and dug the words "your art stinks" into his skin. "Why do you want to know, yeah?"

"We're friends?" Tobi tries.

"Barely, Tori," Deidara scoffs.

"It's— Uh," Tobi blinks. "It's Tobi, Mr. Deidara."

"Yeah, whatever, Tony," Deidara says and he stands up. He pockets the drink and walks away.

"You didn't even get it wrong the first few times," Tobi says, mostly to himself. He scoffs and throws his hands on his lap. Deidara is trying too hard.

Obito sighs. He leans forward and begins to fold the bamboo leaf in its twine.

55

"So that's how I managed to get my hands on some real gross-looking teeth," Tobi says. "I lost them, though. I think I dropped them while moving into the hideout."

"That's a really nice story, hm," Deidara says. "But what are you even doing here?"

"Hm?" Tobi hums.

Sasori's puppet creaks. Tobi feels at least a dozen eyes on him.

"Uh," he sweats.

"Make yourself useful while you're here," Sasori says in a bored voice. "Search their bodies. See if you can't find anything."

"Oh-kay," Tobi says and he looks down at the bodies that he's been standing among. "Whoa," he says as if he suddenly grew eyes that can see, "that's a lot of bodies, Mr. Sasori."

"Get on with it," Sasori says just as Deidara chuckles out, "Are you scared of dead bodies, yeah?"

Tobi makes a scene of leaning down and patting the first guy down. His pockets are empty save for some lint. He doesn't think it's a good idea to put on a show while Sasori is here.

Obito uses his Sharingan to hurry the process while Tobi pretends to check the next body's pockets. He finds the scrolls soon enough and makes a beeline toward it.

He fishes it out of its hiding spots from the inside of the protective tanks. They're sealed, as predicted, and Tobi has no further use of it. He heads over to Deidara.

"Hey, Mr. Deidara," he greets him.

"I've heard enough of your story with the neighbor lady and her gross molded teeth, hm," Deidara says. He's kneeling beside another body and his hands are rummaging its pockets.

"Well, technically, she's not my neighbor," Tobi says. "She's the wife of a friend from work."

"Buh-buh-buh," Deidara holds up a finger. "I said I've heard enough, yeah."

"Sorry," Tobi drags the vowel. "I found these useless scrolls. Can I throw them away?"

Deidara looks up at that. He takes one look at the scrolls in his hand and immediately stands up — a little too fast — and takes them. He looks them all over, humming all the while, as if he knows what the hell he's looking at and then he says, "No."

"Can I at least keep them? I found them," says Tobi. He makes a move to take them back.

"No," Deidara replies and he holds the scrolls further away. He turns and heads toward Sasori and says, "Hey, Master Sasori, I found the scrolls, yeah."

Obito cannot believe that he raised a lying scoundrel. He wonders what else Deidara had lied about during their time together just to get compliments and company. He scoffs.

Sasori stops resealing his puppets, looks over the scrolls, and nods approvingly. "They're sealed," he says as if it's not obvious. "Zetsu," he calls out.

Zetsu slowly emerges from the ground. "Yes?" White Zetsu says.

"We retrieved the scrolls and they're sealed," Sasori says to Zetsu.

"That is predicted," Black Zetsu says. "There is a piece of paper with the instructions on how to undo the seal. Bring it back with you," he says and then Zetsu disappears.

Tobi stands beside Deidara and nudges his arm. Deidara glares at him. Tobi hands him a folded piece of paper. Deidara looks down at the small piece of paper, takes it, and holds it out.

"I have the paper, yeah," Deidara says to Sasori.

"Brat," Sasori says, a prick in his voice. "Why didn't you hand me that earlier? We wasted time calling for Zetsu."

Deidara's grin fades and he lowers his hand. Obito doesn't like Sasori.

"We have it now, hm," Deidara says. "Let's go."

"I am not done packing up my creations," Sasori says.

"I'll wait for you outside while you pick up your trash, yeah," Deidara says and walks away before Sasori can throw anything.

Sasori looks at Tobi. Tobi stares back, equally as blankly.

"I don't trust you," Sasori says as he rolls up his scroll.

"Why is that, Mr. Sasori?" Tobi asks.

"You found all those things," Sasori replies, "and gave it to Deidara. You said nothing when he took credit."

Tobi shrugs. "I'm just a rookie," he says. "I don't know how things work. Was I supposed to speak up?"

"You found them too fast," Sasori continues on as if Tobi has not said anything.

"I have good eyesight," Tobi responds.

"Me too," Sasori says. He stands, shoves his scrolls back into their hiding space, and begins to crawl back into his larger puppet.

"I don't know why you're not already officially a member of the Akatsuki," Sasori begins as he settles in. "You're skilled enough and Orochimaru's spot is still open. You're toying with someone and I'm caught in the middle. Leave me out of it and your information will be safe with me."

"A mighty low price for a master torturer," Obito says.

"I mind my own business," Sasori says as the cover closes in on him. The next he speaks, his voice is low and gravely. "And I intend for it to stay that way. Take your squabbles elsewhere."

"Noted," Obito replies and he disappears.

55

Tobi nods once at Sasori. Sasori nods back and returns his attention to oiling the joints of his puppet. Obito did not bother to learn its name before and after death. Tobi squats down next to Deidara.

"What are we looking at, Mr. Deidara?" Tobi asks.

Deidara no longer seems surprised that the useless rookie is very skilled at being quiet. He just takes a deep breath and gestures to the air. "Trees, hm," he says.

"Interesting, interesting," Tobi says and nods. He moves to fully sit down next to Deidara, crossing his legs. "Why are we looking at trees?"

"Because they're very interesting," Deidara says. He sounds very exhausted. Tobi turns to look at him.

"Are you tired, Mr. Deidara?"

"Tired of you," Deidara replies.

"You are very mean," Tobi says.

"Of course," Deidara says. "Do you want to tell me next about how it is nighttime and the fire is going out, yeah?"

"Sure," Tobi says.

"It's a rhetorical question!" Deidara says.

"Oh," Tobi says as if it is the first time he's ever heard of this phrase.

Deidara scoffs and he falls silent. Tobi tries his best to lull him back into the conversation, commenting on useless things here and there, but Deidara is as stubborn as ever. Sasori eventually lets him know that he's annoyed at all the noise he's making.

He decides to let it fall into a silence. There is nothing between them for a while other than the constant duet of the crickets and the cicadas. There is an occasional leaf rustle in the distance.

Tobi is content with the silence and Obito spends this time to reflect on everything that has happened in the past two years. He glances at Deidara and sees the history on Deidara's face and he wonders if he could take everything back.

A noise comes from their north and Tobi perks up. It sounds like laughter and cheer. It is the group of ninjas Sasori and Deidara are tasked to keep an eye on.

Obito turns to watch Deidara again.

He seems like he's deep in thought. This must be a common occurrence for them. Tobi relaxes.

"What's the deal with you and Itachi, yeah?"

Deidara's question comes so suddenly that Tobi didn't even register it at first. "Huh?" he says and turns to Deidara fully. "Oh," he says when his words begin to make sense in his mind. "Uh," he looks back out to the sea of trees, careful with his words. "We go way back."

"Way back?" Deidara asks.

"Yeah," he says, "he asked me for a favor a few years ago. He kind of owes me."

"Owes you?" Deidara asks. He makes a noise and shifts. "I don't believe you."

"Then don't," says Tobi, feeling offended.

Deidara's head moves and a lone blue eye focuses on him. It makes him feel uncomfortable. Obito stares at his toes. He watches the ants that stumble around in the dirt next to his feet.

"I want to know more about Itachi, hm," Deidara says after a time.

"Good luck, Mr. Deidara," Tobi says. "Mr. Itachi is impossible to read."

"No," Deidara says. "I've met someone that is harder to read than him, hm."

"Who is it?" Tobi asks.

"Someone I thought cared about me," Deidara replies.

Obito nods.

"Do you know anything about Itachi, yeah?"

"What do you want to know? I don't know much," Tobi responds.

"Does he know if there are survivors of the Uchiha Massacre?"

Tobi scoffs. "It's called the Uchiha Massacre, Mr. Deidara," he says. "All the Uchiha are dead."

"Not his little brother, hm," Deidara says. "If he let one live, then he must have left other stragglers."

"Mr. Itachi is not a sloppy person, Mr. Deidara," Tobi says. He reaches down and digs a little pit in the dirt. The ants struggle more.

"He's not perfect," Deidara says. He moves his foot and stomps on Tobi's ants.

Tobi puts his hand back on his knee. "Maybe he does know," Tobi replies. "I think that, even as a prodigy, it's not possible to kill an entire clan in one night." An ant escapes from under Deidara's sandal and continues to wander around.

"Is there any chance that he knows where the stragglers are?"

The ant crawls closer to Tobi. It stops at the edge of his sandal, looking. Another ant joins it. They look like they're talking.

"Maybe," Tobi says. "I don't think they'd talk much even if he does. He never mentions anything."

Deidara nods and he replaces his foot. He looks back out at the trees and nods again.

"His life is pretty sad," Tobi says. He leans forward and kills the first ant.

"Hm," Deidara responds but he is no longer listening.

"Maybe it's best to not bother him about it," Tobi continues. He moves to squish the remaining one. It quickly walks away from his shadow. He watches as the ant move further and further away until he cannot see it in the darkness anymore.

"Hm," Deidara says again, non-committedly.

Obito stares at nothing for a long time. The group of ninjas has stopped their cheering and games. The crackling fire sounds too empty. Something is off.

"We have company," Sasori says.

Deidara starts as if he just noticed. He quickly hikes up his cloak to reach his poaches. Only then did the image of Deidara wearing the Akatsuki's cloak fully sink in. He hates it but he cannot help but realize that it does suit him.

Tobi pretends to panic and hurries to hide behind a tree.

Obito presses the back of his head against the trunk and after a time and a couple of explosions, he hears Sasori shout off some insults and a racket of puppets sounds. The rest of the shinobi are swiftly taken care of.

"I do not want a repeat of this, understand?" Tobi hears Sasori say as the sound of fighting dies down quickly.

"Yeah, yeah," Deidara replies and then he hears him snap his fingers. "You can come out now, Tobi, hm," he says.

Tobi leans his head over the tree, peering at the artistic duo. "Are the bad people gone, sirs?" he asks.

"Yes, they're gone," Deidara says and he resumes his position on the ground. He looks upset.

Obito glances at Sasori. The puppet does not reveal anything to him. He only shakes his head, looks at Deidara, looks back at him, and then shakes his head again.

He takes a deep breath and heads over to Deidara.

"Thank you for taking care of the bad guys, Mr. Deidara," Tobi says.

"I didn't take care of them, hm," Deidara replies, sounding familiarly moody. "Master Sasori did. I ran out of clay," he says.

"But it's not your fault," Tobi offers. "it's just a scouting mission, you couldn't have known you were supposed to be in battle."

"We must always prepare for a battle," Sasori chimes in. "Do not teach him the wrong things."

Obito shoots Sasori a glance. The puppet does not move.

"I do not want a repeat of this," Sasori continues to say. "You better learn, brat," he says to Deidara. "Or I will not save your hide next time."

"Yes, Master Sasori, hm."

Tobi looks between the two of them but Sasori has already gone back to busying himself with his puppets while Deidara seems content to just ignore the dead bodies lying all around him and to stare at the distant horizon.

He takes his leave.

55

Obito shuts the file and leans back against the chair.

"So how long is Tobi going to be hanging around for?" White Zetsu asks.

"As long as I want," Obito replies.

"You should join officially," Black Zetsu says.

"It is not time," Obito says. He folds his arms behind his head and links his fingers together. He leans back and looks up at the dark ceiling. It is a little moldy.

"Nagato is thinking to put Sasori and Deidara on the task of retrieving the One-Tail," Black Zetsu says.

Obito says nothing at first but then he releases his arms and turns to look at Zetsu. "He what?"

"He is thinking of putting Sasori and Deidara in charge of extracting the jinchuuriki of the One-Tail from his village," White Zetsu says.

Obito's eyebrows furrow once. He stays quiet for a while, brewing, and then he nods. He turns back to face the wall and looks down at the file. He nods again and leans back until his chair is tipping backward, the two front legs dangling in the air. He begins to rock the chair.

"Alright," he says.

"Alright?" White Zetsu repeats.

"Deidara can handle himself," he says. "I raised him most of his teenage years," he says, "so he should be fine."

Black Zetsu says, "Didn't he make a fool of himself the last time you checked in?"

Obito stops rocking the chair and says, "That was a while ago." He lets the legs of the chair touch the ground again. "They haven't really been on an official mission since," he says. "I'm sure he's learned. Kid's good at that."

He hears Zetsu make a huffing noise and then he says, "So are you not going to weigh in on Sasori's skills on this?"

"Doubt he's going to butt his head in," Obito replies.

"I don't want to clean up Deidara's remains!" White Zetsu cries.

Obito gives Zetsu a look and White Zetsu's expression falls. "Sorry," he says. "I just don't want to, just in case. He makes me do the worst things."

"It's gotten better," Obito says. "I'll talk to Pain."

"That'll be good," Black Zetsu says. "He hasn't heard from you in a while."

Obito says, "I know."

55

He doesn't visit Nagato until a month later. When he arrives, Obito knows that there is nothing much left to say.

"Sasori has died," Nagato tells him.

"I know," Obito says. He had watched the battle in the shadows. Sasori's death was disappointing. He had plans for the puppet master and now they're all for naught.

"There are a few suitable candidates for replacement," Nagato says, "but I was wondering if you'd like to finally step in, Madara."

Obito looks up at Nagato, turns to Konan, and then back at Nagato. Neither of them seems like they're joking but Obito lets out a laugh anyway.

"This is what you wanted since you made the Tobi persona, isn't it?" Nagato asks.

Obito frowns and says, "You are treading on some mighty thin ice."

"I apologize," Nagato says, "but I think it is time for you to help us in the light too. We can use a good man like you in the front lines."

Obito doesn't say anything immediately. He glances at the files that are strewn about on the table beside Nagato.

Nagato follows his gaze. "They're the replacements," Nagato explains. "Get the files," he tells Konan.

Konan retrieves the files and hands them to Obito.

Obito looks at the files for a long time before he takes them into his hands. He flicks them open and scans the contents inside. They seem like capable ninjas but the thought of assigning them leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

He doesn't say anything else.

"I think they'd be a good addition to the team," Nagato says, "but only if you don't wish to join us so soon."

Obito nods and continues to read through the rest of the files. There are a few that seem less promising but Obito decides that they don't matter at all.

He shuts the files and hands them back to Konan. Konan accepts them and heads back to the table and replaces them. He looks up at Nagato and says, "I will be joining the Akatsuki as Tobi."

Nagato grins at him and lets out a breathy exhale. "That's great," he says. "I'll have Zetsu retrieve the ring for you."

Obito shakes his head and says, "That wouldn't be necessary. I will be going on my own," he says. "Do you have news of Deidara's location?"

"No," Nagato says and then he falls quiet. His mouth opens and closes for a bit like a fish until he decides to speak up again. "His last known location is a forest near the hideout they were in," he says. "The Nine-Tails jinchuuriki had him cornered," he says, "and he was last seen turning himself into a bomb."

Obito stops.

He looks at Nagato as if he misheard.

"It is best if we retrieve his ring as well," Nagato is saying, though he sounds more solemn now.

His eyebrows furrow. It feels too soon. It feels too fast.

Obit nods and takes his leave.

55

Deidara isn't dead.

Of course, he knows this. How can a kid like him die so soon? Sure, he is the type to want to die young, in the heat of battle and in a blaze of misplaced glory, but Obito thinks that his death was a little less flashy than what Deidara is capable of.

Well, what he thinks he's capable of. Who knows how many tricks he has picked up these past two years?

"You will be the new partner of Deidara," Pain says to Tobi.

Tobi clasps his hands together and presses it to the side of his masked face. He turns to Deidara.

"Oh, Mr. Deidara," he says, "we're going to be partners!"

"Great, hm," Deidara says. He stands fairly still.

"Isn't that great?" Tobi asks.

"I said great," Deidara replies.

"Oh, I can't call you Mr. Deidara anymore!" Tobi exclaims. "Hm, what can I call you…?"

"Please don't," Deidara says.

"Ah!" Tobi says. "Deidara-senpai."

"Great," Deidara says and he turns to Pain. Pain looks at him, shrugs, shakes his head, and then leaves.

"Deidara-senpai," Tobi sing-songs. "What are we going to do today?"

"Nothing, hm," Deidara says. He turns slowly and begins to shuffle out of the room. Tobi follows him quickly.

"I've never done nothing before," Tobi marvels. "I'm always doing something."

"That's wonderful," Deidara says.

"So are we going to do nothing together? That seems fun, senpai. Where are we going?"

"None of your business, hm," Deidara says. "Stop following me."

"Oh, but senpai," Tobi says, "now that we are partners, I think we should spend time together!"

"As if we didn't do enough of that when we weren't partners, yeah," Deidara says. He stops in his tracks and looks at Tobi, a strange look in his eye. "Whatever," he says and then he continues to walk.

Tobi follows him until they reach a room that is clearly one of Deidara's.

He feels weird following him in but when Deidara doesn't kick him out, he proceeds to make himself feel at home. Tobi kicks off his sandals and walks along the side of the room, admiring the little trinkets that Deidara had put on the shelves.

There aren't many but Obito can tell that they all have meaning. There are pouches of clay here and there. They're not explosive. Obito thinks they're used for basic modeling. He stops by a sculpture of a pig.

It is too familiar.

Obito stares at the pig for a long time and then he moves on. He picks up one of the prototypes of Deidara's C2 dragon and looks it over.

"Be careful, yeah," Deidara says.

"Sorry, senpai," Tobi says and he puts back the sculpture roughly.

"I said be careful," Deidara says.

"Sorry," Tobi repeats.

"Don't touch anything," Deidara decides to warn him now.

"I won't," Tobi says and then he touches another thing. Tobi ducks when Deidara hurtles a leg warmer at him. It splats against the wall and slides down to the ground.

"Ouch," Deidara says to himself. Obito quickly turns to Deidara. He made Deidara hurt himself. A strange guilt bubbles in his chest and sinks into the pit of his stomach.

"Are you okay?" Tobi asks.

"Fine, hm," Deidara says and he sits down. Tobi hurries over to his side. "Wait," Deidara says to him when he nears. "What did you say your name was?"

Tobi tilts his head and says, "How could you possibly forget my name already? You said it earlier today."

Deidara says, "I don't remember the names of people who are not important." He crosses his legs and rests his arms on his knees. "They're either not significant or they're going to die very soon," he says. "There's no reason to remember people like that."

"Oh!" Tobi says.

"What?" Deidara asks.

"Does that mean I'm important to you, senpai?"

"No," Deidara says. "What is your name, yeah?"

"Tobi," Tobi replies.

"Tobi," Deidara says, feeling the word on his tongue.

Tobi humors him, letting him repeat his name multiple times until it annoys Obito.

"Tobi," he keeps saying. "Tobi."

"Yes?" Tobi answers.

"Tobi," Deidara says.

"Yes."

"Tobi."

"That's my name, senpai, don't wear it out."

"Tobi."

"It's nice to know that you like my name so much, senpai, and it does sound nice when you say it, so I give you permission to say it as much as you want to. Just don't whisper it at night. We don't want people getting the wrong idea, do we?"

Deidara gives him a dangerous look and then Tobi shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Obito."

Tobi twitches at that but he plays it off as a roll of his shoulder.

"Who's that, senpai?" he asks, all innocent.

Deidara stares at him for a long time — a little bit too long — with narrowed eyes. Then, he shrugs, looking nonchalant.

"Thought I'd give it a try, hm," he says as though that makes sense to Tobi.

"What does that mean?" Tobi asks.

"It means I thought I would give it a try, hm."

"Oh-kay," Tobi sing-songs. "You're funny, senpai."

Deidara looks at him and says, "I guess I am."

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

This is beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN.

I am so sorry that this update took more than a month. I was working on the rest of the prompts that you guys sent to me through Tumblr. It took much longer than expected and I didn't even have much time to prepare for October. I did, however, look over the list of fics that I needed to write so I guess that's good. Last time, I didn't even look until it was near the end of September.

Anyway, as planned, the story will end after one more chapter, so the next chapter will be the last one. I hope you enjoyed reading this and wait with bated breath for the last installment! I will try to make it as good as I can to make this end with a bang, just like how Deidara likes it!

SEVENTH YEAR GOING TO THE EIGHTH YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **EIGHTEEN (18)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-NINE (29)**.

If you haven't already, you should follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net). I post updates, drawings, and cats on there. I will also answer any and all asks, so if you have any questions or requests, you can send them to me through Tumblr! My inbox is always open.

Thanks for reading and if you liked (or didn't like) this chapter, please leave a review telling me why (or why not)! Your support is much appreciated.

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	8. Interlaced

_Please remember to leave a review._

* * *

Obito stops walking when he sees the lantern at the corner of his eye.

He turns fully and looks at it, uncaring if he is in the way of other pedestrians. He gets a few dirty looks as he makes his way closer to the stand.

It's one of the older stalls. The decor is lacking and the wall is beginning to peel. There's nothing much in terms of items to sell except for handmade items. He remembers a similar stall in Kirigakure.

It would make sense that it has a similar looking pig lantern.

He looks at it for a long time, fingers twitching at his side.

"Hello, sir," the owner says to him. Obito turns, startled at the greeting. He feels awkward standing there, just watching, so he reaches into his pockets and takes out a pouch of coin. He shakes it a bit and the owner's gaze is immediately drawn to it.

"Ah," the owner says, now sporting a false friendly smile. "May I interest you in anything, sir?"

"The pig," Obito says and gestures to the lantern. "How much is it?"

The owner follows his gaze and looks up. He stares at the pig for a bit, as though he is wondering why that thing is up there in the first place, and says, "That would be five hundred yen, sir."

Obito nods and reaches into his pouch. He takes out six hundred and hands it to the owner, who has taken the liberty to take the pig down. He hands it over to Obito in one hand and takes the money in another.

Obito looks over the craftsmanship of the pig and nods in approval. He looks up at the owner and finds him searching for some change to give him. He raises a hand and says, "Keep the change."

The owner looks at him, surprised.

"I've seen another man do these types of crafts before," he says. "I find that he had been severely underpaid for his hard work. Consider it a charity."

The owner grins at him and bows. "Thank you, sir," says the owner.

Obito raises a hand and does a little wave. The owner does it back and Obito takes his leave.

He turns a corner and disappears into his pocket dimension. While there, he stares down at the paper lantern in his hands. Why did he buy it? There is no reason to keep it.

Maybe he should give it to Deidara.

Obito is shocked by the thought before he even realizes it's his own. He stares down at the pig again and then he folds it — harshly — and shoves it into his cloak. There is no need to give it to Deidara. If Deidara really treasured their relationship, then he shouldn't have thrown away the first lantern he gave him.

He should still have it.

Obito does not let go of the lantern even when it is in a hidden pocket. He gently touches it, running the tip of his fingers over the paper and pretending that he can feel it through his gloves.

He wonders if Deidara hates him for leaving. Obito wonders if he would stab him the next time he sees his face. A sorrow swallows him and Obito reappears in his hideout.

He steps into the hallway, his footsteps echoing along the cold stone walls. Even though he has walked these halls for many years, he still pretends to be interested in the patterns on the walls as he tries to distract his suddenly active mind from the paper lantern he is still holding.

Obito's feet take him to the room that was once Deidara's. Deciding it is better to just go with it and not fight, Obito pushes through the door and enters the room.

It is dark and it feels as though time does not exist inside.

He walks past the desk and pretends he doesn't see the thin layer of dust on everything. He keeps the place sealed as best as he can but he supposes there are things that one cannot avoid.

He looks up at the sculpture that Deidara made from him years ago. He couldn't bear to touch it now. He just watches and deep down, he wishes that it would move.

The sculpture, although beautiful and looks as though it might spring to life at any moment, stubbornly remains still.

Obito breathes heavily and then he takes out the paper lantern. He unfolds it and erects it on the empty desk. He ignores the sketchbook and heads out the door. Obito does not spare the room another glance as he shuts the door behind him.

Zetsu appears in front of him a moment later. He dips his head, understanding the weight of the situation, but he does not beat around the bush and says, "Pain wishes to see you."

"Tell him I will be at his within the hour," he tells Zetsu.

"I would love to," White Zetsu says and he does not need to say "but" for Obito know that he wants to follow up the statement with something dramatic.

Black Zetsu turns his gaze toward his right and Obito follows. Pain steps out of the shadows.

"Glad you could visit," Obito says and dismisses Zetsu. Zetsu bows and disappears.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Obito asks when they are alone.

Pain looks at the room he just came from and then he looks back at him. "You haven't visited in a while, Madara," he says.

"I would, in time," Obito replies.

"We have news," Pain says.

"What might it be?"

"We have caught wind of the revival of the Three-Tails."

The face of Yagura floats into his mind. Obito dismisses it quickly and says, "That is wonderful news."

"Precisely," Pain replies. "We wish to give the scouting mission to you."

"And Deidara," Obito says.

"And Deidara," Pain agrees. "If you come across it on your scout, it would be great if you could guarantee its capture."

Having no host, the capture of the tailed beast will be a whole new challenge. Obito wonders if he is willing to dance with Deidara given that he has never really fought alongside his so-called protégé before. It could be fun.

Obito nods once and Pain nods back.

"We will hold an official hearing in a week, then," Pain replies. "To loop in Deidara," he adds as if Obito isn't sure of his intent.

"Of course," Obito replies. "Adjourned."

Pain dips his head and walks away.

Obito stares at where Pain once stood until Zetsu stands beside him.

"Your first ever long mission with Deidara," White Zetsu sing-songs. "Are you excited, Tobi?"

"Sure," replies Obito and he turns to head down the hallway. Zetsu follows.

"You don't sound excited," says White Zetsu. He doesn't need to look to know that he is frowning.

"Maybe it's because I don't care for it," Obito replies. "I have no reason to."

"But Tobi can spend more time with his senpai," says White Zetsu.

Obito scoffs and says, "As if I didn't do that enough when we weren't partners."

"I've heard that before," White Zetsu says. He shrugs and stops following Obito. "Oh well," he says, "I suppose you can feel what you want. I'll be watching."

Obito nods his head once and dismisses Zetsu.

-55

Deidara looks irritated before Tobi even says anything.

"You're late, hm," says Deidara when Tobi nears him.

"Oh," Tobi says and he scratches the back of his head.

"Oh?" Deidara says.

"Sorry," Tobi replies. "I saw a cat stuck in a tree on my way here."

Deidara looks at Tobi for a long time, a little unimpressed, and then he shrugs and lets the situation go. "Whatever," he says. "Come on. Pain says he wants the Three-Tails as soon as possible, hm."

"No, he didn't," replies Tobi.

"What did you say, yeah?"

"I said Mr. Leader didn't say he wanted the tailed beast as soon as possible," Tobi says. "He just said that he wants it if we come across it. We don't even know where it is, so I think we should take it easy."

Deidara looks at him like he just killed his entire family and then some. He rolls his eyes and turns on his heels, heading down the path without Tobi. Tobi sweats a little and follows suit.

"Hey, hey, senpai," says Tobi. "Did I say something wrong?"

Deidara doesn't respond.

"It's true, though, right, senpai?" Tobi asks. "We don't even know where it is and our job is to scout it out. If we don't even know where it is, then I think we should take our time and let the information come as it will," Tobi says.

Deidara breathes out slowly and says, "Tobi, listen up. Being an Akatsuki member means that you have to take your assignment seriously. We have an image to upkeep, yeah, and _taking it easy_ is not the way to do it."

"What do you mean, senpai?" Tobi asks.

Deidara clicks his tongue. "What I mean is that you can't be so laidback," he says. "You have to be serious, hm."

"I did list my lack of ability to be serious in my resume," Tobi says cheerily.

Deidara gives him a look. "Can't believe you even know how to write a resume," he mutters.

"Oh, but I do!" Tobi says. "Don't you? Do you need help to write one, senpai?"

"It was sarcasm," Deidara says. "Whatever," he says. "Just follow my example and you will be a proper Akatsuki member in no time, yeah."

Obito nearly chokes holding back his laughter. Deidara really hasn't changed much. He only grew taller but not tall enough. He glances at his ponytail and surmises that the kid only just reaches his chin. How cute.

He feels Deidara cast a look at Tobi.

Tobi makes a humming noise in question.

"Stop thinking," Deidara says.

"Wow!" Tobi exclaims. "How does senpai know that I think?"

"I don't," Deidara replies. "That's why it's obvious when you do."

"That's very mean," Tobi says.

"Then this must be the very first day you met me," Deidara replies.

"Hardly, senpai," Tobi says. "I've known you for a year now!"

Deidara looks at him. And he looks at him. And he keeps looking at him. He closes his eyes and sighs and keeps on walking. Tobi follows him, unsure what he did wrong again.

"What did I say wrong now, senpai?" Tobi asks.

"Your entire existence is wrong," Deidara says and he means it.

Obito hums once in agreement. Deidara glances at him and then puffs out a sigh.

"I didn't mean that," he says.

"Hm?" Tobi hums.

"I didn't mean what I said, yeah," Deidara says.

Tobi doesn't look at his senpai. He points to the distance. "Look, senpai!" Tobi exclaims. "A butterfly!" He doesn't let Deidara respond as he dashes toward the non-existent butterfly he saw. He stops in front of a bush and waits for Deidara to catch up, pretending to look for the butterfly he saw.

Deidara doesn't come up to him, standing a few inches away as he waits for Tobi to be done.

"Oh," Tobi says. "It's gone."

"Of course it's gone," Deidara says. "You scared it away with your running, hm."

"I'm sad," Tobi says.

Deidara puffs out a breath through his nose again and he reaches into his pockets. "You have to be cool, Tobi, yeah," he says. "You need to be calm so that you don't announce your presence two miles away."

Tobi whines but then he stops when Deidara holds out his hand. "Come here, Tobi," Deidara says.

"Is senpai going to hit me?" Tobi asks.

Deidara scoffs. "No," he says.

Tobi looks at him warily but he does as he's told, walking toward Deidara. When he nears, Deidara opens his palm and reveals a little butterfly. It flutters in the air as Tobi lets out a sound of amazement and then he shuts up when the butterfly chooses to land on his shoulder.

"Whoa," Tobi says, dragging out the vowel.

"Now, shut up and let's get on with the mission," Deidara says and he turns around before Tobi could look at his expression.

Obito smiles a content smile.

-55

They say nothing for a long time, just walking along the path. Tobi has wondered aloud many times why they're just walking but Deidara has never made an attempt to explain.

The butterfly disappears somewhere along the way and Tobi didn't even notice.

The dirt crunches beneath their feet as they walk down the path and Obito begins to recognize this part of the land. It is quiet and now Tobi doesn't feel like talking about it.

Obito dislikes this area. Too many memories too close to home.

He spots a teahouse in the distance. He remembers that teahouse and the banner that advertises its dango. He used to go there when he was alone, after a visit to Kirigakure. He remembers the owner and he remembers that he took Deidara once.

"Look at that, senpai!" Tobi says to Deidara. Deidara looks at him and then follows his finger. "That place has dango," Tobi says. "Let's take a small break. We've been walking _forever_ and I'm totally beat!"

Tobi digs his heels into the dirt and makes a run for the teahouse. By the time Deidara sits down next to him, Tobi is already gazing longingly into the distance.

"Why are you so laidback?" Deidara asks.

"We don't know where the Three-Tails is hiding at," says Tobi. "We might as well take it easy."

The longer Tobi can drag this mission, the more time he can spend with Deidara and see how his boy grew. Zetsu's nagging voice sounds at the back of his head but he dismisses it.

He feels Deidara's gaze on him for a long time until the elderly owner shuffles forward, carrying two plates of dango.

"Here's your dango," the old lady says.

"Oh, thank you! They look so good!" Tobi says. He picks one stick off of his plate and grips his mask. "Don't mind if I do!"

Deidara does not look away. Obito wonders if Deidara even remembers what he looks like.

He turns his back toward Deidara and eats the dango, humming in delight. He hears Deidara sigh and eats his own.

Tobi adjusts his mask once he is done, licking his lips and savoring the last of the sauce. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a familiar looking lantern. A torrent of emotion washes over him and gestures to it.

Deidara turns his attention to the lantern. Obito does not look at Deidara's expression.

"Look at that, senpai," Tobi says. "It kind of looks like your art, right?"

Deidara tenses beside him and Obito swears he can feel a complex emotion radiating off of Deidara.

"Could it be…?" Tobi says. "That your art is a rip-off?"

There is a moment in time where Obito feels like he is a god. With the help of Kamui, he is almost invincible. No one could touch him and he controls the situation with an iron grip.

But Obito has always been afraid of one thing.

Deidara's wrath.

As a teenager, Deidara has plenty to share. Obito thinks that if Deidara has completely replaced that with a "cool" personality, his wrath would take months of hard work to reignite.

He is wrong.

Obito doesn't like to be wrong.

Deidara twitches once and Obito tenses. "You bastard," he mutters underneath his breath.

Tobi grips the border of the wooden plank they're settled on and bolts.

The explosion that follows isn't unfamiliar. He has witnessed this many times but this is the first time he stands in the midst of it. No matter how mad he was, Deidara had never tried to actively harm Obito. He thought that his little childish tantrums would get on Obito's nerves eventually and he had been right.

Obito wonders where his sweet, innocent boy went.

Tobi cowers behind a tree and Deidara appears behind him not a few moments later. He raises an arm to block the kick at his partner sends his way.

"Aw, senpai!" Tobi cries. "Please don't hurt me!"

Deidara says nothing but he does stop attacking Tobi. He stares at him for a long time, a blue firing burning in the depths of his eyes that Obito had seen years ago. He had thought he could hone this into something great and, in many ways, he did.

Obito should be proud that Deidara is a capable ninja now. Obito should be proud, as he rubs his forearms, that Deidara remembered the taijutsu that he had taught him.

Perfect form, Obito thinks to himself. He held the perfect form.

 _I missed you._

-55

The Three-Tails didn't fight back much.

He couldn't. Obito made sure of it. The moment the creature gazed into his eyehole, he was frozen. The blast from Deidara's fish toppled the creature over.

The Three-Tails lets out a weak complaint as he struggles to keep himself upright.

"Don't fight it," Obito tells the Three-Tails. The Three-Tails struggle more. He recognizes him. "You oversized turtle," Obito says, patting its head. "You cannot escape this now."

With a final pat on its chitin-like head, Obito activates his genjutsu and knocks the creature unconscious. He swims to the surface and perches on top of the beast's upturned belly.

"I did it!" Tobi exclaims, waving his arms at Deidara. He does not look at what Deidara is doing. "I defeated the Three-Tails with my super-secret technique!"

Deidara scoffs at him, tossing another line of clay-rope to attach the Three-Tails to his bird. "You didn't do anything, Tobi," he says over the wind. "It was all the masterful work of my art, hm."

Obito barks out a laugh and lets it be drowned by the sound of the ocean. "I don't think so, senpai," Tobi replies and then he tunes Deidara out.

He looks up at the sky and watches as the clouds fly by. They will arrive at the base soon enough, he knows, and their mission will be over. Obito wonders why he doesn't feel glad that they took down another tailed beast.

Obito wonders if the plan is really the only answer.

"…that means being cool equals to art," Deidara is saying.

"Senpai, you talk a lot," says Tobi without thinking.

Deidara's hardened gaze makes Obito's heart sing with joy and pride.

-55

"I think we deserve a little celebration, senpai," says Tobi.

Deidara disagrees. He crosses his arms as he crosses his legs, looking at Tobi like a spoiled child. "I don't think we do," he says.

"There's still time until Pain sets up the sealing process," Tobi says. "Maybe we can make use of that time!"

"What do you suggest, yeah?" Deidara asks.

"Maybe we can play a game," Tobi says. "Hmm," he hums, making a show of tapping his chin and turning his head this way and that. "What game do you want to play?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the one suggesting games, given that you brought up the topic in the first place, hm?"

"Picky, picky," Tobi says. He thinks for a bit. "Seven minutes in heaven?"

"Fuck no."

"Truth or dare?"

"No."

"Never have I ever?"

"No."

"Twenty questions?"

"No."

"Spin the bottle?"

"No."

"Beer pong?"

"No."

"Would you rather?"

"No."

"Charades?"

"No."

"Pictionary?"

"Same thing."

"Whisper challenge?"

"No."

"Shiritori?"

"No."

"I spy with my little eye?"

"No."

Tobi sighs and says, "There's no point in me suggesting anything if you're just going to shoot it all down, senpai."

Deidara raises an eyebrow at him.

 _That's the point_ , he almost hears him say. Tobi pouts and crosses his arms too.

"That's not fair, senpai," Tobi says. "We could get to know each other better."

"I don't want to know you better," Deidara replies. "We will sit through these minutes in silence."

"You are very mean, Deidara-senpai," Tobi says.

"I told you," Deidara says. "This is not the first time you've known this, hm."

Tobi blows a raspberry and leans back, lying on the ground and spreading his arms out like a starfish. He shuts his eyes and wills his mind to calm.

A few moments pass and he supposes Deidara cannot handle the silence, no matter how determined he sounded before.

"Fine," Deidara says loudly, enough to startle Tobi out of his peaceful reverie. "I will play a stupid game. Silence doesn't suit you, hm."

"Aw," Tobi says, sitting up. He presses a hand to his heart. "Thank you."

"That wasn't meant to be a compliment, idiot," Deidara says. He waves a hand to dismiss the topic and says, "We're playing twenty questions, hm."

"Oh-kay," Tobi sing-songs. "Does senpai want to start first?" he asks.

"Who are you?" Deidara asks.

"Whoa," Tobi stutters. That was sudden. Obito isn't ready for an answer so he sits, quiet for two seconds before he says, "I am Tobi."

"No," Deidara says. "Who _are_ you?"

"Senpai, that's not how the game works! It's my turn to ask a question," Tobi says.

"I don't give a flying fuck about how the game works," Deidara says. "You didn't answer my question, so it's still my turn, hm."

"But I already did answer your question," Tobi says helplessly.

"No, you didn't," Deidara says.

"But you can't do that, senpai," Tobi says, huffing. "You can't expect me to say what you want to hear when I don't even know what you want me to say."

Deidara looks at him.

"Whoever you want me to be," Tobi says, "I'm not him."

Deidara grits his teeth and he crosses his arms. He looks away and stares at the other wall. "Fine," he says. "Your turn."

"Who do you want me to be, senpai?" Tobi asks.

Deidara turns to look at Tobi and his expression is hilarious. He looks as though he has offended him, punched him in the gut, and ripped his heart out all at once. His confusion and anger is a familiar sight and Obito smiles goofily at that.

"I want you to be who I want you to be," Deidara replies. "My turn."

"Hey!" Tobi says. "That's not how it works! You can't answer like that!"

"Screw you, hm," Deidara says. "Just now you won't answer my question but when I do the same, it's not allowed?"

Tobi purses his lips and hums. He nods for a moment. "I suppose," Tobi says, "you have a point. Okay, senpai, it's your turn."

"Why do you wear a mask, hm?" Deidara asks.

Obito looks at Deidara.

"To hide my face," Tobi responds.

Deidara looks at him for a while and then he says, "Why do you hide your face?"

Obito wants to remind Deidara that this isn't the rules but he holds his tongue. "So that others won't be able to see it."

"Why don't you want others to see it?"

"Because I want my face to be hidden."

"Why do you want your face to be hidden?"

"Because I don't want it to be seen."

"Why don't you want it to be seen?"

"Because I don't want it to," Tobi replies.

Deidara looks at him. "Because it's a secret, isn't it, hm?"

"Yes, it is," Tobi says, clasping his hands together. "You're so smart, senpai."

"Don't be stupid," Deidara replies. "Why are you hiding?"

"I got into trouble a long time ago," Tobi says. "And then I had to abandon my identity so that others won't come looking for me."

"A true criminal, after all," Deidara says. "Shame."

"Shame?"

"Yes, shame," Deidara replies. "A long time ago, I would have thought it was cool."

Obito huffs and looks down at the floor.

"What changed?" Tobi asks.

"A lot changed," Deidara replies. "My turn."

Tobi blinks and he looks up. "Hey! Wait!"

"No, it's my turn," Deidara says. "What is the true relationship between you and Uchiha Itachi, hm?"

"I didn't know him until he was ready to abandon his village," Tobi replies. "My turn."

"No, that didn't answer my question," Deidara says.

"Hey, that's not fair," Tobi says.

"Yes it is, now answer the question or you forfeit your turn."

Tobi blows a raspberry at him and says, "He asked me to help him on a mission instead of doing something really mean, so I agreed and now he kind of owes me a little bit."

"That doesn't sound like he owes you anything," Deidara says.

"I think it is," Tobi replies. "He asked me to help him do something that he had to do anyway, in exchange that _I_ don't do something. That is hardly a fair exchange."

"What did he ask you to do, yeah?"

"Nuh-uh," Tobi says, wagging his finger at Deidara's face. "It's my turn."

"Ugh," Deidara throws his hands in the air. "Fine."

"Hm," Tobi hums. "Why do you want to fight Mr. Itachi so bad?" he asks.

"Because he must have information that I want," Deidara replies. "Also he snubbed me and I will prove to him that my art is better than his stupid eyes, hm."

Tobi nods. "What information do you think he has?"

"No," Deidara says. "My turn. What did you do for Itachi?"

"I helped him out on a mission," Tobi replies and Deidara gives him a look. He laughs sheepishly at his expression and says, "I know, I know, but it's a super-secret mission that the Hokage gave him. No one else is supposed to know."

"And yet you do," Deidara says. "Are you from the Leaf?"

"Oh, but senpai, it's my turn to play," Tobi says and Deidara rolls his eyes again. "What information do you think Mr. Itachi has?"

"Someone once told me that only less than a handful of Uchiha are left," Deidara replies. "Given that Itachi is the one who massacred them, then it means he'll know which ones he spared or which ones he missed, hm."

Tobi holds his question in and lets Deidara speak.

"Are you from the Leaf?" Deidara asks.

"I was," Tobi nods, "but I left a long, long time ago. Did you know an Uchiha other than Mr. Itachi?"

Deidara looks at Tobi for a while, probably processing the information. He nods and says, "Yes, a long time ago. He meant a lot to me but now he's gone. Did you have someone like that?"

"Yes," Tobi says, "a long, long time ago. She's dead. Do you really think Mr. Itachi will know who you are talking about?"

"Yes, I do," Deidara says. "We're not stupid."

Tobi tilts his head.

"The girl who died," Deidara says, "was she kidnapped right before her death?"

Tobi doesn't say anything. His silence seems to be answer enough for Deidara.

"If you don't answer, your turn is forfeit," Deidara says anyway.

"Yes, yes, she was," Tobi says, irritated. "The man that meant a lot to you, did you really love him or was it just your child mind that made you think you loved him?"

Deidara bristles at Tobi's words, gripping his arms harshly. "I do love him," he says through gritted teeth. "I _still_ love him."

"You don't know what love is," Obito says.

"And you do?" Deidara replies. "The only person you claimed to love is dead, hm."

Tobi's jaw snaps shut audibly and he leans back, regarding Deidara with unseen eyes. He relaxes his shoulders when he realizes they're too tense and he breathes out slowly.

Deidara raises an eyebrow at him, a little smug, a little scared. Despite it all, he is very confident.

"Are you Obito?" Deidara asks his final question.

Tobi sighs through his nose and he stands up. Deidara follows him and stands too. He crosses his arms and says, "I knew it."

Deidara's breathing begins to grow short as he stares at Tobi. "I knew it," he says. "I fucking knew it."

Obito feels uncomfortable standing in front of him.

"So it is you," Deidara growls, storming up to him. "Why did you leave?"

"I had to," Obito replies.

Deidara seems shaken to hear his voice again, breathing out shakily. Obito doesn't need to look up to know that his eyes must be watering.

"Do you—" Deidara cuts himself off, wiping at his face. "Do you—" he reaches up and shoves his entire forearm against his chest, even though the action must have hurt his still-healing arm, "—have _any_ idea how long I waited for you!?"

"I know," Obito says. He reaches up and takes Deidara's wrists into his own hands. His hold isn't tight but Deidara doesn't fight to loosen his grip.

"Then why didn't you come back?!" Deidara screams.

"I couldn't," Obito replies.

"Yes, you fucking can, hm," Deidara says and he wretches his arms away. He winces at the action and Obito frowns. He takes a step forward, closing the space between Deidara and him, and takes Deidara's wrists again. "Let me go, you fucking asshole."

"Language," Obito chides softly but he doesn't do anything else as he urges Deidara to sit back down again. He undoes Deidara's cloak slowly, careful not to startle Deidara, and gently touches his wounds.

They're bleeding again.

Obito undoes the ruined bandages and places them in a pile a little bit away. He holds his hand over the artificial flesh on Deidara's right arm and begins to heal it.

Deidara refuses to look at him the entire time and Obito doesn't know what to say to change that. He lets the medical ninjutsu do its work and the bleeding stops. Zetsu appears, much to Deidara's surprise, and places down a cup of warm water and a towel.

The scene is familiar. The scene hurts Obito's heart in more ways than one.

Obito reaches for the rag and dips it in the warm water. Zetsu disappears. He wrings the excess back into the bowl and dabs it lightly on Deidara's right arm. He wipes most of the blood away and then he places the towel back in the bowl.

Obito reaches into his cloak to take out a wad of bandages. He places the edge of the wad and begins to dress it. Deidara winces during the process and Obito shushes him gently. He nudges his mask up and leans down to bite on the bandage when the wound is wrapped up. He tucks the end into a fold.

Obito repeats his actions on Deidara's left arm, who offers it without a word. The stitches there make it harder for Obito to clean between the lines without the fabric getting hooked. Deidara winces more for this and Obito apologizes underneath his breath.

He wraps up the stitches once he is done and he can't help but notice the difference in shade between the flesh. He is reminded that this isn't Deidara's arm.

Deidara twists his arm away from Obito's hold and grasps his hand. "It's fine," he says between quick breaths.

Obito grunts and pockets the remaining bandages. He sits back on his heel and watches his partner. He doesn't shake Deidara's hand away.

Obito absentmindedly traces a thumb over the lips of Deidara's hand-mouth. It parts slightly to lick him. He huffs out a soft laugh.

They sit in silence. Obito listens to the sound of Deidara's breathing. It's harsh and with every breath, Obito's chest hurts. He gives Deidara quick glances and finds his cheeks shimmering with tears. His soft expression disappears and his gaze falls to the floor.

After a time, Deidara's breathing returns to normal and Obito allows himself to relax just a little.

"Well?" Deidara says first.

"Well, what?" Obito replies. He does not look at Deidara's face. Instead, when he tries to look up, he forces himself to trail down to watch his throat.

"You know what," Deidara says. His fingers grip Obito's harder.

Obito sighs and says, "Sorry."

Deidara gives him another look.

"I could have come back," Obito says. "Zetsu told me… Zetsu works for me, you know. He's always been there."

"I know now," Deidara replies. "Keep going, hm."

"Zetsu told me that you waited in that forest for hours," Obito says.

"It was the forest where we first met," Deidara says.

"So you knew," Obito says.

"Of course, I did," Deidara says. "I thought you were going to… Well, it doesn't matter. I knew you were going to do something, but I never thought you were going to straight up abandon me, hm."

"Sorry," Obito says again. "Zetsu told me you waited hours."

"I did," Deidara says.

"Sorry," says Obito. "I just couldn't go back."

"Yes, you could," Deidara says. He squeezes Obito's fingers. Obito wants to take them back but he refrains.

"I suppose," says Obito, "but I was scared to."

"Why?"

"You're a kid," Obito replies. "Kids don't love adults."

"I'm not a kid now," says Deidara.

Obito desperately wants to say _but you are_. One look into Deidara's eyes and he knows that he would be lying if he said that now, so he remains quiet and shakes his head.

Apparently, Obito doesn't need to say anything. Deidara huffs and squeezes his fingers again. "You still think I'm a kid, huh?" Deidara asks.

Obito breathes deeply through his nose again and still avoids eye contact with Deidara. It is all the confirmation he needs and Deidara scoffs again and says, "What will it take for you to know that I'm not a kid anymore, yeah?"

"It's hard not to think of you as a kid," Obito admits. "I met you as one."

Deidara presses his lips into a line.

Obito reaches up and takes off his mask completely. He can feel Deidara's eyes linger on his skin and he hears Deidara let out a breath.

"How old are you, now?" Obito asks.

"Eighteen," Deidara replies. "I'm turning nineteen in a few months."

"May fifth," Obito says. "I remember."

Deidara lets out a soft chuckle. "Yeah," he says, "I'm surprised you do, hm."

Obito raises an eyebrow at him.

"Well," Deidara says, "it seemed like you were content with forgetting me."

"I never forgot," Obito replies.

Deidara bites his lip and he nods. "I believe you," he says. "When is your birthday? You never said."

Obito hesitates for a few moments before he says, "February tenth."

Deidara nods, stops, and then nods again. He nods minutely until his gaze travels from around the room back to Obito's face. "Okay," he says. "It passed."

Obito purses his lips and raises both eyebrows. "I don't celebrate my birthday," Obito admits.

"Why not, yeah?" Deidara asks.

"Deidara," Obito says, "there are a lot of things that you don't know about me and I think that's for the better."

Deidara looks at him and he nods again. "Okay," he says. "It doesn't change anything, hm."

"Doesn't change what?"

"My feelings."

"Oh, enough of that," Obito says and takes his hand back. Deidara grasps at the air but he does not touch Obito's fingers. "I don't want to hear any more of that nonsense, Deidara."

"It's not nonsense," Deidara says, offended.

"It is," replies Obito. "You know it is."

"I know it's not, hm," says Deidara. "Why are you so afraid?" He stops himself and then he lets out a bark that sounds like a mixture of a laugh and a scoff. "You think I'm her again, don't you, yeah?"

"Stop it," Obito says.

Deidara holds up a hand. "You stop it," he says. "You can't threaten me anymore; I'm not the kid you could boss around."

Deidara trails off then and he blinks for a long time.

"Oh, my god," he says. "The gang you're in charge of. This is the gang, hm."

"Congratulations," Obito says.

"Great," he mutters. "Just when I thought I was independent of you."

"Hardly," Obito says. "Fate seems to think it is really funny."

"Still," says Deidara. "I'm not her."

"I know you're not," Obito says finally. "I know you're not her. You survived."

"What happened? To her?"

"She died protecting her village from herself," Obito says. He looks sad. He rubs a hand over his face. "I thought she was killed."

"That was the misunderstanding, yeah?"

"It was."

"But there's no going back," Deidara echoes his words from years ago.

"Life's too long," Obito says.

"Life's too short," Deidara corrects him. "Move on, Obito."

Obito laughs once and then he falls silent. He finally takes a good long look at Deidara's face and he finds himself too overcome with emotion to say anything back. In his darkest moments, Deidara had always been there to distract him.

He wonders if he could ever make up for his actions.

Obito reaches out and swipes his thumb against the cheeks of Deidara, wiping them from the streaks of tears that still glisten underneath the weak candlelight of this hideout. The rooms are barren and void of any décor but Obito thinks it is suddenly too full.

Deidara leans into his touch and when Obito is done wiping away his tears; he holds Deidara's cheek like he has never touched something so precious before.

In a sense, Deidara _is_ something precious that he has never seen before. Of all the time that passed between the two of them, the years apart changed Deidara so, yet he remained the same.

He missed him.

A small smile creeps its way on Obito's face and after a time, Deidara mirrors it, and the two fools sit alone in the room, smiling at each other like they've never smiled before.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

This is beta'd by AO3 user Dani_ATN. Thanks!

So, I suppose the ones with the sharper eyes have noticed something has changed. This isn't the final chapter. I swear I didn't mean for this to happen. I meant to finish this in this chapter, I did, but it was only when I finished it and moved to paste it into Google Docs that I realized it was over 12,000 words long. I recalled multiple friends of mine telling me that stories are better in short installments rather than a huge chunk. Someone said it was because digital stories like these don't allow bookmarking tools so people can't find where they've left off if they can't read everything in one go, or that people just don't have that much of an attention span so they'd drift off if it's too long. Anyway, it all just made me split the chapter in half. It's about equal in terms of words (more or less, anyway, because I had to cut it off at the split of a scene rather than in the middle of one). Since I split it off, it's already written and now it only awaits to be beta'd. Hopefully, that won't take too long. My final comments will be saved for the next and final (for real) chapter. Stay tuned!

EIGHTH YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **EIGHTEEN (18)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-NINE (29)**.

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	9. Intertwined

_Please remember to leave a comment._

* * *

Obito leans against the doorframe and Zetsu appears beside him.

"Am I to take that this means things are back to normal?" White Zetsu asks.

Obito glances at Zetsu and then looks back at Deidara, watching as his partner runs his fingers over the desk, clicking his tongue at the dust that sticks to his skin. He closes his eyes, scoffs, and says, "Things are hardly normal."

"It looks normal," White Zetsu replies.

"Looks can be deceiving," says Obito.

"Hey, you still have that," Deidara says, gesturing to the dragon sculpture standing on the shelf.

Obito nods at Deidara.

"He forgave you pretty quickly," says Black Zetsu.

"I doubt he truly forgives me," Obito says, looking down at his toes. "I left him when he needed me."

"I heard it is very common in human fathers to do so," White Zetsu says and then he ducks his head when Obito aims to swat at him. "Sorry, sorry," White Zetsu says. "I meant to say, 'I think he will forgive you completely with time.'"

"Hm," Obito says.

Deidara picks up the new pig lantern that Obito had purchased earlier. He turns it this way and that, fishing out the tiny handle he had tucked in it. Deidara unfolds the pig and admires it.

"I still have the old one," says Deidara.

"It's just something that reminded me of you," says Obito. "I didn't mean to buy it."

Deidara throws Obito a look. Obito shrugs.

Deidara puts the lantern back and he continues to roam the room. He finds his old sketchbook but he doesn't flip through it. Instead, he places it on the desk and says, "I still want to fight Itachi, hm."

"Why?" Obito asks.

"To show him the strength of my art."

"I thought you wanted to fight him because you thought he knew where I was."

"I did think that," Deidara says. "But you're here now, so now I just need to show him the beauty of true art, hm."

"You're a million years too young to face someone like him."

"But you're not, right, yeah?"

Obito blinks and says, "I don't want to fight him."

"You don't have to," Deidara says. "If you didn't lie about him asking you for a favor, then that means you're capable to some degree, yeah?"

"Is that a jab toward me, kid?" Obito asks.

Deidara laughs and then he clears his throat, waving his hand. "No, no," he says. "You're an Uchiha," he says. "That means you know his weaknesses, hm."

Obito barks out a laugh. "Is that what you really think?"

"Am I wrong?"

"I'm not impervious to his attacks, Deidara," says Obito. "His genjutsu would still incapacitate me."

"I'm not asking you to fight him," Deidara says. He lifts a hand and grabs a thumb toward his left eye. "I trained this eye to see through genjutsu, yeah," says Deidara.

"Interesting," says Obito.

"Don't interrupt me," Deidara says.

Obito makes a face and looks at Zetsu. Zetsu shrugs in return.

"I'm asking you to tell me the weaknesses of the Sharingan, hm," says Deidara.

Obito looks at Deidara. He crosses his arms and leans more of his weight into the doorframe. Deidara looks at him, visible eye wide like he's thirteen and curious and eager again. Obito smiles softly and shakes his head.

"Come here," Obito says. He moves to the middle of the room and pulls out a chair. Zetsu takes his leave. Obito sits down.

Deidara watches his every move but he doesn't follow Obito. Obito waves him over again. "Come," says Obito. "Sit."

Deidara purses his lips and Obito can hear him say, "I'm not a kid anymore. I won't be ordered around by you."

Obito dips his head and Deidara sighs. When he walks over, his footsteps sound suspiciously like stomping. Obito smiles to himself again.

Deidara grabs the other chair, pulls it out, and sits down. He folds his hands on his lap and waits for Obito to speak.

"A long time ago," Obito says, "I promised you answers."

Deidara nods.

Obito nods too and says, "It's long overdue for you to know the truth."

"I grew up in Konohagakure," Obito says, "and I was sort of a black sheep of the Uchiha clan. I wasn't that great at anything and I was always lagging behind my teammate.

"He excelled in every test and became a Jonin — youngest ever, supposedly," he says and then he trails off into silence, eyes cloudy with the memories of him refusing to give Kakashi anything. "Then the war happened and we had to work together.

"I got my Sharingan then," Obito says, "but the next thing I knew, I was crushed by a boulder. Couldn't feel my right side at all — I thought I was a goner for sure when those Iwagakure ninjas caused a deeper cave-in. But I was saved by my ancestor.

"It took a while for me to recover," Obito says and gestures to his right side. Deidara makes a noise and reaches out to gently touch his skin. He realizes that his boy has never had the chance and Obito doesn't mind at all. "During most of that time, I trained myself to become stronger and White Zetsu watched over me. When I recovered enough, I got news from White Zetsu that my friends were in trouble."

Obito takes a deep breath and White Zetsu's face appears on the ground beside them. "Hello," he says in a funny voice before disappearing.

Deidara looks at the floor weirdly and Obito rolls his eyes. "I rushed out to save my friends but I was too late," Obito tells Deidara. "I saw her die."

"The girl you liked?" Deidara asks even though he knows.

"Yes," Obito says with a pained voice, eyebrows scrunching together. "Rin," he says. "That was her name."

"Rin," Deidara repeats.

Obito lets out a humorless laugh at Deidara's voice. "I watched my friend stab her in the abdomen," he says. "He killed the one I told him to protect."

"So as long as he saves her, everything will be alright," Deidara asks, "right?"

"I guess so," Obito says. "But he didn't and she's dead."

"And then you found out, years later, that the circumstances of her death were a misunderstanding," Deidara tries to finish.

"More or less," Obito says. "It's been so many years," he says, "that I thought he had murdered her. Instead, he let her die."

"Isn't that the same thing, yeah?" Deidara asks.

"In the end, she's still dead," Obito says. "I was mad — I still am — so I vowed revenge and took on my ancestor's plan."

"Which is?"

"The goal of the Akatsuki."

"World peace?"

"More or less," Obito says again. He leans into Deidara's hand and Deidara flattens his hand against his scarred cheek, stroking his thumb across the skin. "We're going to create a world where there is no war, where there is no hatred, where no one will ever die again."

"A world where she's still alive," Deidara says.

"Yes," Obito replies.

"Obito…" Deidara says. "I don't know what to say, hm, other than that's a stupid fucking plan."

Obito frowns and he reaches up to touch Deidara's hand. "Language," he says instead of asking why.

Deidara giggles and says, "What does this have to do with Itachi?"

"Itachi was ordered to kill his entire clan to prevent a revolt," Obito replies. "He was tasked to it and the rest of the village mustn't know about it. He needed help with that, of course, because not even a prodigy like him could eliminate an entire clan of capable ninjas like the Uchiha.

"I was snooping around then, just a few years before I met you. I heard about the unrest and the potential of Konoha becoming weak. Itachi caught wind of me and asked me to help him in exchange that I leave Konoha alone," he says. "I agreed."

"That's why he owes you?" Deidara asks.

"Konoha must fall either way," Obito shrugs, "and he wanted help."

"I guess," Deidara says.

"But that's why he's wary of me," Obito says.

"Because you didn't do much to change your appearance when you pretended to be another person?"

Obito pouts and Deidara laughs. "Am I that bad?" he asks.

"I was fooled for a while, hm," Deidara admits. "It was the whole personality flip that really got me. But you weren't careful," he says. "You wanted me to find out, didn't you?"

"A little," Obito says.

"A little," Deidara scoffs. "You wanted it so bad," he says. "You could have changed your mask's appearance, or not hang out where your base is, or pick a name that's not similar to your original one, hm."

"I raised a smart boy," Obito says instead.

A gentle blush creeps across Deidara's cheeks but he remains firm. "You just weren't subtle," he says, looking away. He tries to put down his hand but Obito's grip on him prevents it. "You wanted to see how I was doing, didn't you, yeah?"

"Sort of," Obito says. "Maybe I did," he says again. "Okay," he says when Deidara's fingers poke his cheek, "I, uh, I missed you."

Deidara's eyes widen in surprise at the confession.

"It's weird not having you around but I didn't want to risk it," Obito says. "I didn't want you falling in love with me, or what have you."

Deidara's eyes narrow once more.

Obito twists his head slowly. "I wanted to go back," he says, "but I stopped myself." His head keeps turning. "All of this stuff," says Obito. "I wanted to destroy it all."

He nuzzles his face into Deidara's palm and says into the hand-mouth, "But I stopped myself. Because I was foolish to believe that one day, you might make your way back."

"I am back," Deidara says with a conflicted expression. "I never left. You did, hm."

"I know," Obito says. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Deidara replies. "I'm sorry too."

"I like you, you know," Obito says and he ignores Deidara's quiet "what" as he continues to speak, "You reminded me of me when I was a kid, wanting to better myself constantly because I was chasing after a better target. I wanted you to prevail in this ugly world. I saw what I was missing all these years.

"I feel like now, maybe, my ancestor's plan isn't the only answer," Obito says.

Deidara looks at him funny.

"That doesn't matter," Obito says, waving the thought away. He sits up and takes Deidara's hand away from his face and ignores Deidara's pout. He grips his hand and holds it tight. "You want to fight Itachi?"

"Yes," Deidara replies.

"Then make something big," Obito says.

"I already have the dragon, hm," Deidara says. "Oh!" Deidara says, "I made a few adjustments to it while you were away, you should see it now."

Obito gives him a smile and promises that he will. "But first," he says, "make something so big that it surrounds Itachi instantly."

"What does that mean?"

"Itachi can dodge and defend himself against almost anything," says Obito. "You can't expect to shower him with bombs in one location. Surround him and make sure he can't dodge or defend himself against it. Make it instant."

"I want his death to last," Deidara says. "He will see the beauty of my art, yeah."

"And that he will," replies Obito. "But if you want to defeat him, you cannot let someone like him gain the upper hand."

"Teach me," Deidara says and Obito, looking into Deidara's deep blue eyes, nods.

-55

Obito watches as the creature disintegrates into dust, tiny bombs tearing the once-rabbit into nothingness.

"Fascinating," Obito comments.

"Thank you," Deidara replies. He stands up and dusts himself off, gesturing to the empty patch of land. "He won't be able to escape this, hm."

Obito nods.

Deidara huffs and digs into the pockets of his cloak. He fishes out a piece of paper and hands it to Obito. Obito takes it and unfolds it, looking at the drawings that he has drawn. "What is this?" he asks.

"My design," Deidara replies. "This is what it's going to look like, hm."

"That's huge," he says. He squints at the words written in the margins and he could not hold back his surprise. "C4 Karura?"

"Isn't it a cool name?" Deidara asks, beaming with joy.

Obito snorts and turns the page, reading the other notes that Deidara has written. He feels Deidara move and he snatches the page from him. "Okay, that's enough," he says and shoves it back into his pockets.

Obito fights the urge to roll his eyes. "You're going to use your own mouth to make that?" he asks.

"Yeah," Deidara replies. "That's the only way to make sure it'll be big enough," he says, "and to infuse it with enough chakra, hm."

"Microscopic bombs," Obito says aloud in wonder. "You never cease to amaze me."

"I am a valuable member of the team," Deidara says, puffing out his chest.

"Alright, boy," Obito says, jabbing his fingers into his shoulder. "I heard you put up quite a struggle when you were being recruited."

"I don't like being told what to do," says Deidara, swatting at Obito's hand. "You know that, hm."

"Oh, I know," Obito says. "I wouldn't have allowed your recruitment if you weren't so talented."

Deidara blushes and crosses his arms, looking away. "Shut up," Deidara says.

Obito watches him, admiring Deidara as he stands before him again. He's changed so much from the little boy that he met years ago. There is a strange feeling that is eating him and he doesn't know if he misses the child or relishes in the presence of the adult.

"Hey," Obito says.

"Hm?" Deidara replies but he doesn't stop his little tantrum. Oh, how he missed those tantrums.

Obito grins at the mere sight and reaches out. He catches Deidara blink in surprise as he wraps his arms around Deidara's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. Deidara stands still for a long time.

And then he returns the hug.

Obito smiles to himself, a soft, gentle thing. He buries his masked face into Deidara's neck as he tries his best to hold back his tears.

In that moment, a quiet moment, he feels his own heart beating once more.

Leaves rustle and someone clears their throat. Deidara tenses at the sound but neither of them are ready to let go.

"Am I interrupting something?" Pain asks.

"Yes," Obito says.

"No," Deidara says.

Tobi whines and lets go of his senpai. Deidara pats himself down again, clearing his throat and turning to look at their leader.

"I'm here regarding the ordeal with Orochimaru," says Pain. "You don't need to hunt him down anymore."

"It's still my mission," Deidara says.

"It was Sasori's," Pain says. "I know that effectively means it's yours as well, but since the one who asked for it is dead, you don't need to be pressured to finish the mission."

"Come on, senpai," Tobi says. "I don't want to face the scary snake man."

"Master Sasori was furious at his betrayal," Deidara says. "He was a fellow artist. I owe him that much, yeah."

"Senpai is so loyal," Tobi says in wonder.

Deidara glances at Tobi and shrugs.

"Suit yourself," Pain replies. He glances at the horizon and says, "Tobi, can you come with me for a second?"

"What's so stupid that you can't say it when I'm around, yeah?" Deidara asks.

"It's okay, senpai," Tobi says, patting Deidara's arm. "I think Mr. Leader is mad that I ate his leftovers."

Pain remains unimpressed and gestures to the side. Tobi happily follows along.

Glancing over his shoulder and making sure that Deidara is out of earshot, he watches as Pain takes out a wad of blood-stained napkins. "I have troubling news regarding Itachi's health," Pain says.

Obito looks down at the napkins, eyebrows furrowed. "His situation isn't improving," Pain says.

Obito sighs and says, "Leave the man be. He's only here because of a deal."

"I know," says Pain, "but he is a good member and it would be best if we deal with Sasuke to at least ensure Itachi's survival for a few more years."

Obito scoffs. "He will never agree," he says. "No harm is to come to Sasuke."

"Deidara would not have a goal anymore," Pain says.

"Don't be ridiculous, Nagato," says Obito. "Deidara has plenty of goals."

"May I ask you something, Madara?"

Obito waves his hand.

"Is Deidara the kid you took under your wing years ago?"

Obito remains still for a time but then he nods.

Pain is quiet too and the two men stand without saying a word. After a time, Pain says, "I can assign you two easier missions."

"He won't like that," replies Obito.

"He is rather determined," says Pain.

"Do not go soft on me, Nagato," Obito warns. "Deidara can handle himself."

"You effectively raised him," Pain agrees. "Alright, then," he says. "Good luck."

Pain dips his head and he leaves. Tobi heads back to Deidara.

"Was he talking about me, yeah?" Deidara asks.

"He was talking about how nice you looked," Tobi says.

"Oh, are you jealous?" Deidara asks, digging his hands into his clay pouches.

"Yeah, I told him to leave you alone," Obito says, "'cause only I get to look at you."

"How sweet, hm," Deidara says and he tosses a wad of clay on the ground.

"What are you making?" Obito asks.

"The C2 Dragon," Deidara says.

"I heard it is your favorite," says Obito.

"You know why," replies Deidara. The dragon appears and it peers at the two of them curiously.

"It's a bit bigger," says Obito.

"All the better to carry bombs with," Deidara says. He climbs on top of the dragon and it pukes up a ridiculous amount of bombs. "Put these underground, hm."

"Huh?" Obito asks.

"I said," Deidara says, "put these underground. They're landmines, yeah."

"Are you ordering me around?" Obito asks but he does what Deidara asked of him.

"Do you like the role reversal?" Deidara asks when Obito finishes his job.

"Not really," Obito says. "I miss when you worshipped me mindlessly because I took care of you for half a day."

Obito climbs onto the back of the dragon as well and he grips Deidara's hips to steady himself when it takes off. Deidara shivers and says, "You never gave up on me."

Obito scoffs and he holds his tongue.

"Watch," Deidara says.

Obito peers over the dragon and watches as Deidara tosses a bunch of kunai down onto the ground. With his Sharingan, he sees the kunai stab the lumps of chakra and in a split second, they explode.

The sound is deafening and the balls of fire roll higher and wider as more bombs trigger.

Watching from a distance, from a height, Obito can begin to see why Deidara is so enamored by the sight. When the fire dies down, the ground is littered with grooves and craters.

"Cool," Obito says dumbly.

"Cool?" Deidara asks, turning to face Obito. "It's more than just cool, you numbskull. It's fine art, hm."

"Okay," Obito says. "Bore me again with your profound insight of art."

"Why, you," Deidara says, raising a hand to pound a fist on top of Tobi's head. "You know how important art is to me, hm!"

Obito laughs and shakes his head. "Of course, I know," he says. He leans forward before he could catch himself, pressing the top of his mask against Deidara's forehead protector. "I'm just teasing you."

He pretends he doesn't see Deidara blushing and laughs again.

"I'm so proud of you," he says. "I'm so glad I met you."

"Shut up," Deidara says.

"Why are you so mean now?" Obito asks. "You were such an angel before."

"Because you left me," Deidara says. "I'm putting you through the grief you put me through, yeah."

"Oh," Obito says. "Did you know you were a little horror when you were thirteen? You nearly bit my ear off."

"Did I?" Deidara asks. He reaches up and touches Obito's ears. "They seem fine to me, hm."

"Not literally," Obito says. "You were always shouting."

"I love shouting," Deidara says. "I am loud, hm."

"You are so loud," Obito replies.

Deidara gives him a look and then he leans forward. Obito can't see it nor could he feel it, but he knows that Deidara pressed a kiss on his mask.

"Thank you," Deidara says and Obito feels like he has traveled back in time.

"What for?" Obito asks dumbly.

Deidara just looks at him and smiles.

-55

Obito glances up at the sky and ushers Deidara back into the cave. A few moments later, a rumble sounds in the distance and the world breaks into a constant hiss, rain splattering on whatever surface it can reach.

"Guess we're stuck in here for the time being," Tobi says.

"No, we're not," Deidara replies but he says nothing else. He sits back down on the cave floor, sighing loudly as he lies back. "That sealing was a pain in the ass, hm."

"I suppose it was," Obito says and he moves to sit down next to Deidara. He reaches out and gently touches Deidara's right arm. Deidara doesn't flinch away from him but he feels him glance over.

"Don't worry about it, hm," says Deidara as Obito hikes the sleeve of his cloak up to check on the more serious wound. Blood and exudate stain the bandages but he can tell that it's healing a lot better than before.

"Hm," Obito replies and begins to undo the bandages.

"Ouch," Deidara says and then he turns to look at what Obito is doing. "I remember when you freaked me out over that arm of yours, hm," Deidara says as Obito discards the ruined bandages.

"My entire right side is not my own flesh," Obito says. "You know this."

"I didn't know back then," Deidara replies. "I was worried."

"Now, I am worried for you," Obito replies. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Deidara grins to himself and then lays his head back.

Obito scoffs and smiles as well. He reaches into his cloak and takes out a small cotton wad, dabbing the wound to soak up the excess fluids before he puts on another layer of padding.

Deidara is quiet as he dresses up the wound, making sure everything is wrapped up before he moves on to the next one. Deidara complains a little, probably saying something along the lines of he doesn't need any help, but Obito shushes him and continues to care for the left arm.

He quickly finishes his job and settles down, looking out of the cave entrance from time to time to watch the rain fall. He stops moving when Deidara reaches out with his right arm, blunt nails scraping against his mask.

"Stop it," says Deidara.

"Stop what?" Obito asks.

"Stop what you're doing," Deidara says. "It's making me sad, hm."

"What am I doing?" Obito asks.

"Thinking," Deidara replies. He grips the mask and slides it off of Obito's face. Obito resists at first but he eventually lets Deidara do what he wants. "You don't want me to fight Sasuke, hm."

Obito scoffs once more. "Hardly what I'm thinking about," Obito lies. "You're not always on my mind."

"Hm," Deidara says in acknowledgment and places the mask on his face, peering out of the eyehole. "How do you breathe in this thing? It's very stifling, hm."

Obito doesn't answer him. He watches as Deidara sniffs the interior of the mask. "Oh, gross! It smells like you, yuck," Deidara says to himself and makes a gagging noise. He places the mask beside him.

"Somehow, I find it hard to believe you're revolted by my smell," Obito says absentmindedly.

Deidara looks at him and says, "You're gross, man."

Obito rolls his shoulders and Deidara smacks him weakly on the thighs.

"Why do you still insist on fighting Orochimaru?" Obito asks as he brushes Deidara's hands away.

Deidara doesn't answer him immediately. He hums and looks up at the ceiling until Obito gets bored.

"You don't need to avenge him or Sasori," Obito says. "We don't necessarily punish deserters if they aren't worth it."

"It's for Master Sasori," Deidara says.

"Why?" Obito asks. "He hasn't even been nice to you, not even once. Why do this for him?"

"He was an artist," Deidara says. "You wouldn't understand, hm."

"Obviously," Obito says and then he sighs through his nose. "He's dead anyway," Obito says. "There's no reason to fight Sasuke after that."

"He killed Orochimaru, which should have been mine — our — job, so I do have a reason to fight him," Deidara says. He narrows his eyes. "Are you trying to talk me out of it, yeah?"

"No," Obito says.

"You are," Deidara says. "Why?"

"I'm not," Obito says again.

"You are," Deidara sits up now but he struggles a bit. He turns to Obito. "Is it because he's an Uchiha? Family ties or whatever?"

Obito looks at Deidara for a long time before he reaches out and takes one of his hands into his own, squeezing it tight. "Ages ago," he says, "I would have let you stumble into this fight blindly, but things have changed beyond my expectations and I can't let you go."

Deidara looks away and he can see that he's blushing.

"I need Sasuke to be part of my plan," Obito admits, "only for a little while. He needs to kill Itachi and then I will turn him into a puppet for my use."

Deidara turns back to face Obito with a strange look on his face. "Am I part of your plan, hm?"

"You were an unexpected delight," Obito says.

"Hm," Deidara huffs and then he says, "You know what I mean, hm."

Obito looks at Deidara for a long time. "No," he says, "you were never part of my plan."

"So I was disposable," Deidara says.

"Don't say it like that," Obito says. "If you didn't join the Akatsuki, it wouldn't have been the same."

"But everyone else in the Akatsuki is disposable," Deidara says. "And here I am now, another plaything of yours, hm."

"No," Obito says. "Not anymore."

Deidara doesn't say anything more when Obito pulls him into a hug. "You are too important now," he says. "That's why I need you to join me."

"I would never," Deidara says. "Your ludicrous plan is not meant for me."

"I would make space for you," replies Obito. "Just like how I made space for you in my heart."

"Don't be so gross," Deidara says.

"This is what you wanted," says Obito.

"Not like this," says Deidara.

"I don't think I can take being away from you again, Deidara," Obito says.

Deidara is quiet for a few heartbeats before he says, "Okay." He returns the hug, fingernails digging into Obito's cloak. "Then promise me you will try," Deidara says. "At least just a little."

"Okay," Obito replies. "I will."

-55

He doesn't need to try really hard.

The strange feeling always comes back to him from time to time. When he feels as though it was just a phase, it would come back again and haunt him. He is obsessed with the warm wash of emotion and Obito wonders why it is so familiar.

He places another of Deidara's sculptures down on the table.

"Not good enough," Deidara says and he makes another one.

Obito watches him, leaning his head on his hand.

He watches as Deidara's hands dance swiftly over the clay, molding it this way and that. It takes shape in mere moments, turning from one shapeless form to a figure that resembles Deidara.

"Is this okay?" Deidara asks but Obito knows this game enough to not foolishly answer. "No," Deidara says afterward and then hands it to Obito.

Obito takes the sculpture and places it with the other dozen that Deidara has deemed unworthy. He toys with them, lifting their arms and linking them, or placing them on another's shoulders. He chuckles to himself, immensely self-satisfied with his little village of Deidaras.

Deidara looks over to him and he clicks his tongue loudly.

Obito continues to toy with the sculptures until Deidara puts down another one. He reaches for it and then he notices that it's not a Deidara sculpture.

"I look good," says Obito when he realizes whom it's supposed to resemble and puts it right in the middle of the village. "He shall be the mayor of Deidara-town."

"I will not be ruled by someone else, hm," Deidara says and takes the sculpture away.

"Hey!" Obito says. He reaches for it but Deidara holds it further. He rolls his eyes and sits back down. "Fine," he says. "He'll be a peasant but everyone in the village is hopelessly in love with him."

Deidara scoffs.

"And he lives in heaven because everyone just plain adores him and fights to win his affection," he says.

Deidara scoffs again.

"And he gets laid a lot," he says.

"Gross," Deidara says. He places the sculpture down. "He might not be happy to know that one Obito is not enough to satisfy twenty-one Deidaras."

"Come on, you're the one to talk. That's just plain gross," Obito says, waving the conversation away. "How's your progress?" he asks.

"It's okay," Deidara says. "I think I'll just have it wear the Akatsuki cloak. I'm too lazy to design anything else, hm."

"It's just going to look like you, right?" Obito asks, picking up a Deidara with short hair. "Why do you fuss so much?"

"Image is important, yeah," Deidara says. "It's important for them to see the perfect face of their demise."

"Okay," Obito scoffs and puts down the sculpture. He places the sculpture of him in the middle once more. "They are parading."

"Alright, alright," Deidara says, beginning to pack up his sculptures.

"Wait," Obito says and he takes the latest design and himself away from the pile before Deidara can reach it. "Can I keep these?" he asks.

Deidara raises an eyebrow. "Why?" he asks.

"Because I want to," he says and the strange feeling bubbles up in his throat again.

Deidara gives him a look and then he sighs. "Alright," he says.

Obito gives him a goofy smile and leans forward, he stops himself mid-way and then leans back. "Thanks," he says awkwardly. Obito moves to stand and places the two sculptures on the shelf, grabbing their arms and placing them so that they look like they're holding hands.

"Hey," Deidara says when they are packing up the rest of Deidara's clay, mushing them back into the pile.

"Hm?" Obito hums.

Deidara doesn't answer or follow up with a question. He just sits there as he watches Obito push the clay back into the bags and zip them up. He places the pouches neatly and then sits at the table once more, wondering what Deidara is going to say.

After a few moments pass, Obito decides to say, "What?"

"Nothing," Deidara says and smiles. Obito isn't convinced at all but he lets the whole thing slide.

He nods and says, "Do you want to go out and eat?"

"I know you don't need food, hm," Deidara says and he sighs.

"What is it?" Obito asks when Deidara doesn't speak up again.

"What was that?" Deidara asks.

"What was what?"

"The thing you did earlier when I told you that you could have the sculptures, hm."

Obito pauses. "Nothing," he says.

"It was something," Deidara replies.

"I like it when your hair is down," Obito says dumbly instead.

Deidara scoffs and smiles.

"It doesn't mean that I don't like it as it is now," Obito says again, equally as dumb.

Deidara doesn't respond. Instead, he reaches up and undoes his tie, letting his hair rain down. He looks at Obito expectantly.

"That's nice," Obito says, stupefied.

Deidara lets out a laugh at that and runs his fingers through his hair. "It's okay," he says.

"It's more than okay," Obito says quickly. "I think it looks great."

"I wasn't talking about the hair, yeah," Deidara says.

Obito sits back on his knees and huffs out a breath. He lets out another breath when he realizes what this is. He leans forward, pressing his elbows against the table, and buries his face into his palms.

"Hey," Deidara says. "It's okay."

He feels a gentle hand rest on the crook of his elbow but he doesn't move. He stays there even as Deidara rubs warm circles into his arm, the heat of his hand seeping through the fabric of his shirt and into his skin.

He eventually raises his head and rests it on one hand only. He watches Deidara and Deidara returns the gaze as heatedly. Obito waits for a few moments before he reaches with his other hand to hold Deidara's.

They sit for a while like that before Deidara decides to say, "You like me."

He scoffs and lets go of Deidara's hand, leaning away. "I've always liked you," he says. "You know that."

"Yeah," Deidara says, "but that's the normal kind of like. Somewhere along the way, it changed to a different kind, just like me, yeah."

Obito huffs and reaches out. Deidara takes the hint and he leans forward until Obito's hand cups Deidara's cheek. Obito holds Deidara's gaze for a while and a few words flutter to his tongue before he lets them die. "You still haven't promised me that you won't fight Sasuke," he says instead.

Deidara sighs and looks away. "I'll think about it," he says after a few heartbeats.

Obito pinches Deidara's cheek.

"Ouch," Deidara complains and he sighs. "Fine," he says. "And I suppose I'll leave Itachi alone too, then."

"You would?"

"No, I wouldn't," Deidara says. "He needs to see the beauty of my art."

Obito scoffs once more. "There are other ways to do that."

"Name one that involves him being enveloped by my art, hm."

"That's not the only way for him to see its beauty."

"It is to me."

"Deidara," Obito says. "Don't do this."

Deidara's eyebrows furrow. "What's the point of telling me to develop Karura then?"

"To give you something else to focus on," Obito tries.

"That's not it, is it?" Deidara asks.

"I see myself in you," Obito says, ignoring Deidara's sarcastic "oh, you do, don't you?" as he continues, "And I know you're better than this. This is more than just to show him your art is better, this is revenge. I've been down this path and I will not let you make the same mistakes I did."

There is always more than one answer to a problem.

Deidara huffs and he looks ready to retort, but Obito leans forward and presses a gentle kiss on his lips, which effectively shuts him up.

"Never again," Obito whispers and holds everything there.

Deidara lets out a shaky breath and he gives a feeble nod. He rubs his fingers through Obito's shorn hair, mumbling something about how he kind of likes his short hair more.

They fall quiet and stay like that until one of them says quietly, into the air they share, "I love you."

"I know," the other replies.

* * *

Hey guys, Red here!

Since I wrote this chapter and the previous one simultaneously, it feels a bit rambly to me. I haven't had a chance to read it over after I've finished it (on around the 6th of September but I rarely read through stuff that I've freshly written) so I'm not sure if it is as nonsense as I feel like it is, but nonetheless, the conclusion of this almost impromptu story is here.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was certainly a fun journey to start and make. Thank you for being a part of the ride.

EIGHTH YEAR:  
Deidara is aged **EIGHTEEN (18)**.  
Obito is aged **TWENTY-NINE (29)**.

I will take a break from posting multi-chaptered stories for the entirety of October and updates of individual one-shots/stories may be sparse for the rest of September. Something is brewing...

If you haven't already, you should follow me on Tumblr (redskiez dot net). I post updates, drawings, and cats on there. I will also answer any and all asks, so if you have any questions or requests, you can send them to me through Tumblr! My inbox is always open.

Thanks for reading and if you liked (or didn't like) this final chapter, please leave a review telling me why (or why not)! Your support is much appreciated.

Did you know that I have a ko-fi? You can go to ko-fi dot com forward slash redskiez to buy me a coffee!


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